CHENNAI: 570, 434 & 275/4, 655 and 262/0, 649 & 235/3, 628/5. These are the last five matches of Karnataka in Ranji Trophy this season. The semifinal clash against Vidarbha which will be played at Eden Gardens on Sunday may just be a test of their heavyweight batting line-up. Vidarbha will be playing their first semifinal clash and the title favourites have a better head-to-head record.
With Vidarbha not confirming the likes of Umesh Yadav, it remains to be seen how the team sheet goes. Karnataka head coach PV Shashikanth revealed that the team doesn’t prepare for one bowler or particular pitches. “Our plan is simple. We don’t prepare for facing one tough bowler. Though toss is important in tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) match, the team looks to have a good start and capitalise on it. We have been able to do that in all the matches so far and looks to do the same. It will be a good opportunity for our batsmen if they play Umesh.”
The Vinay Kumar-led side is high on confidence after defeating Mumbai in a quarterfinal match by an innings and 20 runs. Apart from the tournament top-scorer Mayank Agarwal (1142 runs), they also have Ravikumar Samarath who has notched up 643 runs. But the coach also lauded the crucial contribution down the order, with all-rounder Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham and Vinay Kumar chipping in.
“It’s not that the batting line-up is dependent on them. Stuart Binny and CM Gautam have played some vital knocks. Shreyas came good against Mumbai scoring 150. Even Gowtham and Vinay can bring in extra 60-80 runs. The fact that all-rounders are also clicking well is a good sign for the team,” said Shashikanth.
Karnataka’s record against Vidarbha shows they have won two and drawn three. Though they have a better record against Vidarbha, the coach said it was not going to be a cake-walk. In fact, the very fact that they did not reach the finals in last two seasons has motivated them to strive for a ninth title. “Skipper Faiz Fazal has been equally brilliant with the bat scoring around 800 runs. Right-arm spinner Akshay Wakhare will be a player to watch out for. But as I said, we will be taking one match at a time,” Shashikanth said.
Delhi set for Bengal pace test
It’s Bengal’s pace-attack of Mohammed Shami and Ashok Dinda versus Delhi’s batting of Gautam Gambhir, Dhruv Shorey and Rishab Pant. Delhi opener Kunal Chandela, who played only last two matches, has scored three fifties and looked solid at top. Though Gambhir’s batting graph is not that impressive, a valuable 95 in the quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh is one of the positives to look for. With Wriddhiman Saha also in the mix, Bengal will be confident of winning the tie and qualifying for their first final in a decade.
srinidhi@newindianexpress.com
Fixtures: At Pune: Bengal vs Delhi (Live on Star Sports First); At Kolkata: Karnataka vs Vidarbha (Live streaming)