CHENNAI: Eight-time winners Karnataka will be hoping for a strong start in their semifinal tie against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy in Lucknow on Sunday.
The last time Karnataka entered the semifinal was in 2023, where they lost to eventual winners Saurashtra at home in Bengaluru. However, Karnataka, in the following seasons, had been a shadow of their former self. But this season has been full of promise.
Batting remains Karnataka's biggest strength. New skipper Devdutt Padikkal is in the form of his life, having returned with rich returns in both List A and first-class cricket this year.
India Test opener KL Rahul is entering the tie on the back of a century (131) in the team's quarterfinal win over Mumbai. The Karnataka team management will also be delighted to see Ravichandran Smaran make runs as he remained unbeaten on 84 in Karnataka's win at BKC ground in Mumbai. Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair have also been involved in big knocks earlier this season.
Saturday's hosts Uttarakhand bettered a Jharkhand team which topped their group, in the quarterfinal. Karnataka head coach Yere Goud is expecting a tough test.
"They have come to the semifinals, they played good cricket throughout the season. It is important for us, (that) we do our process right and concentrate on how we want to execute our game plans. It is important from ball one to be there and be ready."
One player that the visitors will be wary of is their former spin-bowling all-rounder Jagadeesha Suchith. He has been one of the standout performers in Uttarakhand's historic run so far. His numbers with both bat and ball have been key.
In eight matches, Suchith has scored 414 runs averaging 41.4, and with the ball, he has scalped 25 wickets at an economy rate of 2.68. He will be looking to maintain his hot streak against his former team.
Goud is expecting a good batting surface at the Ekana Stadium. "It's probably a good batting service. Probably initially it might seam a bit and probably settle down as a good batting cricket," he said.
While only a few in the squad remained from that 2023 semifinal loss, Goud played down the pressure and said the players would take it as just another game. "If you think of a lot of things, then we will not be able to execute our game plans and not be totally present at that moment. It is important that we try to play good cricket all 5 days. That's what we focussed on," he said.
Other semifinal: Bengal vs J&K @ Kalyani (West Bengal)