BENGALURU: With the conclusion of the Deodhar Trophy, Karnataka’s domestic season came to an end, losing to India B in the final on Thursday. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable season for them, winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy and a runners-up finish in Ranji.
After such performances under their belt in different formats, Karnataka proved to be the king of South India. Tamil Nadu, said to have one of the best domestic structures, failed, winning just one Ranji match while their performance in coloured clothing was not impressive either. Kerala too were blown out by eventual champions Vidarbha in Ranji quarters and they did not reach the knockout stage in the 50-over format as well.
Despite Karnataka being one of the best teams in the domestic circuit this season, regular skipper Vinay Kumar felt that they could have achieved more with the talent in their squad. “Overall, it was pretty good. We managed to win one title. I am a bit upset that we could not win the Ranji Trophy. The boys played well in Deodhar, but lost in the final. With the type of team we have, we could have won more,” Vinay told Express.
There is a reason behind the state’s run. All the players had a role to play, and it was played to perfection. However, the hero of the season had to be Mayank Agarwal, scoring 2221 runs. Mayank failed in the Deodhar Trophy, but R Samarth took control with 309 runs in three matches. He also contributed with 673 runs in the Ranji Trophy.
The team, clearly greater than the sum of its parts, helped them. With regular contributions from the likes of Karun Nair and Pavan Deshpande, their batting looked solid.“They (Mayank and Samarth) are no longer the juniors, now are seniors of the state. I am glad that both had a great season. Now, they understand their role in the team. They are pillars of Karnataka. Though Mayank and Samarth have done well in the past, I am really pleased with the kind of season, they had, scoring big and thus helping the team.”
Transition also seems to be going on in Karnataka cricket. Sreenath Aravind has retired and Vinay is 34, so there is need for someone young to take control of the pace attack. Prasidh Krishna and T Pradeep seem to be the right answer.With seniors like Vinay, they have the right guidance and the captain has always been there to show them the way for better results. Vinay believes they are the future of Karnataka.
“Prasidh and Pradeep have been in the radar for some years. Both of them have matured as wonderful bowlers. They are the future. The challenge for them is to improve day-by-day as the opposition will now understand their weak and strong points. They have it in them to take Karnataka pacers’ legacy forward,” added the captain. Teams can get carried away after a season like Karnataka have had. Vinay has a few thoughts up his sleeve.
“As a captain, I will always want to win all the domestic titles next season, but we need to take one match at a time. Considering the talent we have, nobody can beat us if all the players play to their potential.”
ashim.sunam@newindianexpress.com