BENGALURU: The character of champions is tested when big guns are unavailable. Karnataka were playing a must-win Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Railways on Friday. In the absence of captain R Vinay Kumar and others, the trio of Prasidh Krishna, T Pradeep and Ronit More had to deliver.
Despite a combined experience of less than 40 List A matches, the right-armers shared 10 wickets and defended 257. Circumstances were challenging. Karnataka had to regain late control of a match they appeared to have wrapped up by reducing Railways to 54/6 in the 13th over. The eventual margin of 16 runs indicates how the tail fought before the fast bowlers secured passage to the quarterfinals.
Prasidh and Pradeep, who took four wickets each doing damage at the top as well as the bottom, played junior cricket together. Having got a chance in senior colours in place of Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind, they want to represent the state for a long time.
“I have been playing with Prasidh and enjoy bowling with him. We are thinking about playing for the next 10 years for Karnataka,” said Pradeep. It was his initial burst which pushed Railways to the brink of collapse early on.
The pacers used the conditions well to make breakthroughs with the new ball. They bowled a tight line and length, which got them important wickets. Later on during the fightback by the Railways bowlers when the match was heading for a tight finish, they did not let the pressure get to them. They showed maturity.
Prasidh is aware of the competition in the pace department. Like the rest, he knows that one has to keep going irrespective of his place in the side.
“Like anyone in the team, I knew I had to work hard. I was focussed on being a hard-worker. The results are showing. I worked on my fitness and bowling, tried to improve in all departments.”
These are early days, but this lot is keen to take responsibility. “Seniors were not there and injuries are common. It can happen to anyone. We knew our responsibility. We will have to do it sometimes. So, when it matters, you have to perform and give your 100 per cent,” said Prasidh.
This was not for the first time that Prasidh has impressed in this competition. Against Assam, he had taken six wickets. Pradeep has seven wickets to his name so far.
For the duo, the difficult part starts now. They have to perform consistently. There are big shoes to fill, considering that the lot they are taking over from was the bunch of champions. For now, they can be lauded for starting well.
South wrap
Group A: Karnataka 257 in 48.1 ovs (Mayank 89, Deshpande 65; Anureet 3/36, Mishra 3/45) bt Railways 241 in 47.1 ovs (Ankit 51, Anureet 59, Avinash 40; Prasidh 4/35, Pradeep 4/48). Haryana 170 in 45.4 ovs (Dhull 72, Patel 50; Deepak 6/22) lost to Odisha 172/1 in 31.4 ovs (Sarangi 84 n.o, Shantanu 53 n.o).
ashim.sunam@newindianexpress.com