CHENNAI: Karnataka’s vice-captain and a crucial component of their side, CM Gautam, still has an outside chance of playing the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu.
There were reports that the team’s specialist wicket-keeper was ruled out of the final following a quadriceps strain. But he thinks it is ‘50-50’.
“I have not yet been ruled out and might play in the final,” Gautam stated.
While the defending champions have the option of asking Robin Uthappa to keep wickets, Gautam is a seasoned campaigner and his runs at that crucial No 7 position have helped the state.
Earlier this season, with Karnataka struggling at 97/5 against TN, Gautam’s brisk 94 (135b, 15x4, 2x6) helped their cause. And that was no flash in the pan.
Similar rescue acts against Bengal (he made 63 after coming in at 69/5), Railways (he made 64 after coming in at 153/5) and Jammu & Kashmir (he made 80 after coming in at 83/5) speak volumes about his ability to fight against the tide.
Does that mean the team management might opt to play him as a specialist batsman? The answer is a resounding no.
“To be honest, I have not had any problems in the last few days. I have been able to keep and bat freely without any pain. It’s the running which is giving me problems. But I’m feeling better every day and the final call will be made on the morning of the match.”
In fact, making runs isn’t new in the world of Gautam, who speaks Tamil as fluently as depositing spinners back over their head. In the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season, he finished was the third highest run-getter with 943 runs at an average of 117.87.
With numbers like that, Tamil Nadu might be well advised to keep an eye out for him.