BENGALURU: Karnataka's margin of victory — 267 runs, 101 runs, nine wickets and 10 wickets — in their last four matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy say a thing or two about their dominant show.
Predominantly, their openers Devdutt Padikkal and Ravikumar Samarth, who have scored three and two centuries respectively in their last four games, have done the bulk of the damage. The duo will be keen to continue their form as they meet Kerala in the quarterfinals at the Airforce Complex Ground in Palam, New Delhi on Monday.
Though Samarth's men defeated Kerala comprehensively in the group stage, the knockout fixture brings a new set of challenges and an added pressure. And Kerala, with match-winners such as Robin Uthappa, S Sreesanth, Jalaj Saxena among others, cannot be taken lightly.
The match could boil down to the contest between Kerala's bowlers and Padikkal and Samarth. The former has scored 572 runs, the highest run-getter in the tournament so far, and Samarth is third in the list with 413 runs.
"If we score, the team will be getting a good start irrespective of whether we are batting first or second. It is important for us to carry that form," said Samarth, who also heaped praise on the opener. "Padikkal's runs can speak about him. It is just great to see the kind of hunger he has. Every game, he comes in and performs for us. I hope that the Indian selectors are looking out for him because his numbers are unreal."
The challenge will not be easy for the defending champions. Sreesanth has so far taken 13 wickets in five matches. He is also the fifth-best bowler in the tournament in terms of wickets. If the experienced pacer dismisses the openers early in the innings, Karnataka's untested middle-order will be under threat.
Samarth may count on Manish Pandey's experience in the middle-order, but he was added to the squad for the quarterfinals after recovering from a tennis elbow injury. The last match he played was against Australia on December 4.
The other inclusion for Karantaka is spin all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, who will bolster their bowling department. However, it is yet to be known if pace mainstay Abhimanyu Mithun will be available for selection. He has recovered from a quadriceps muscle pull that he suffered during their last game against Railways, but a final call on his selection will only be made on Monday.