CHENNAI: Their semifinal against Uttarakhand might have ended in a draw but eight-time champions Karnataka entered their 15th Ranji Trophy final, first time since 2014-15 season, by virtue of first innings lead over their opponents in Lucknow on Thursday. They will play Jammu and Kashmir in the final scheduled to begin at Hubballi from February 24.
After being sent in to bat, skipper Devdutt Padikkal (232) slammed a double-century while KL Rahul (141) and Ravichandran Smaran (135) hit a hundred each as Karnataka posted a mammoth total of 736 in their first innings. Vidyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyshak scalped three wickets each as Karnataka skittled out Uttarakhand for 233. Instead of enforcing follow on, they decided to bat and scored 323 setting an improbable target of 827 on the last day.
Head coach Yere Goud explained the reason behind the decision to bat again. "It gave us the opportunity to probably demoralise the opponents by making them field for two and a half days. It will be even more difficult for them to come back and bat," he told this daily after the match.
Another reason, he pointed out, was that the bowlers already had bowled for more than 80 overs in Uttarakhand's first innings. "If we had got them by 50 overs, then we could have thought of bowling again. We also thought we might have to bowl on the final day and wanted to see how the bowlers get that rhythm with two over spells, five over spells," he explained.
Skipper Padikkal was seen walking off the field on Day 4 after suffering what appeared to be a cut on his finger. The coach was hopeful of his skipper's return ahead of the final. "His wounds are all dried up. In two or three days' time he will be good to go. We will assess him on the 23rd (a day before the final )," he said.
Win vs Kerala season's turning point
Goud has seen monumental improvements in his second stint as coach so far. After failing to qualify for knockouts last year, the team — bolstered by return of Karun Nair in the beginning of the season, and KL Rahul in the later stage — are within reach of their ninth Ranji title. The coach felt that winning matches before the white-ball break was important. "So, we were able to get only four points from two matches (Draws vs Saurashtra and Goa). Then, getting seven points Kerala was the turning point for the players. The first-innings lead vs Maharashtra was also important," he explained.
"Though we lost to Madhya Pradesh, we were able to win against Punjab. I think the kind of hard work we put in to get those 250 runs in 28 overs showed the team's character. After qualifying, we beat Mumbai (in the quarterfinals) and then saw off Uttarakhand — this did not happen overnight but was a result of our preparation for the past few years," he said.
Their opponents in the final, Jammu and Kashmir, will be eyeing a historic first Ranji title in their maiden final. Karnataka on the other hand, have four players — Mayank Agarwal, Nair, Rahul & Shreyas Gopal, who have won the title back in 2015 — in their ranks. "They (J & K) are playing some outstanding cricket. They have done well in all three departments, batting, bowling and fielding. We need to be focussing on how we have come so far and probably what has worked for us. We want to stick to our game plans and do the things which are in our control," he said.
In such an eventful season, Goud's favourite memory is when the team chased 250 runs in 28 overs against Punjab in the final league match to qualify for the quarterfinals, especially considering odds were stacked against them. "That was a satisfying moment, but everything will only count for what we do in the end," he said.
Brief scores: Karnataka 736 & 323 in 74.3 ovs (KL Rahul 86 n.o; M Mishra 4/69) drew with Uttarakhand 233 & 260/6 in 62 ovs (A Sudha 66, A Negi 57 n.o; S Gopal 3/83); Karnataka take FIL.