SHIVAMOGGA: The
Ranji Trophy format leaves little room for teams to recover from a bad start, which is exactly what
Karnataka got off to in the season opener. They settled for a point against Saurashtra — conceding the first innings lead by a mere four runs — and now are left chasing the pack.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Last season, Karnataka were done in by bad weather and while that will be a potent factor going forward, the challenge for
Mayank Agarwal and his team is to work around it and make the most of sunny days. That challenge begins at KSCA Navule Stadium, where the hosts take on Goa starting Saturday. This is the first Ranji Trophy game at the stadium in five years.
Adding to Karnataka’s woes, they will be without star batter Devdutt Padikkal, who has been picked for the India ‘A’ home series against South Africa ‘A’. In his absence, the batting will revolve around seasoned pros Agarwal and Karun Nair, with R Smaran being a vital cog.
If Karnataka decides to rejig the batting order, Padikkal’s place could be taken by Abhinav Monohar, who will bat in the middle-order, or KV Aneesh could get a look in.
A cause of concern for Karnataka will be the form of wicketkeeper KL Shrijith, who had a nightmare outing against Saurashtra. Shrijith’s poor form, especially against spin, proved costly for Karnataka, and he will have to up his game, especially with the talented Kruthik Krishna breathing down his neck.
Karnataka will be bolstered with the return of key pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar, who missed the opener. Their return could result in Abhilash Shetty and M Venkatesh being benched, unless head coach Yere Goud decides to go with a three-pronged pace attack. In that case, either Shikhar Shetty or Mohsin Khan could join leggie Shreyas Gopal in the spin department.
GOAN CHALLENGE The home advantage notwithstanding, Goa will be a tough team to get past. The team, to be led by Snehal Kauthankar, which earned a promotion from the Plate group last season, kick-started their campaign with a resounding innings and 75 runs win over Chandigarh. In a Goan run feast, Lalit Yadav (213) and Abhinav Tejrana (205) scored double hundreds, while their bowling attack, led by Darshan Misa, steered the team to victory in three days.
The Goan side has a distinct Karnataka flavour with medium pacer V Koushik, who moved from Karnataka this year, making his Ranji Trophy debut for the visitors against his home team. Last season, Koushik had led Karnataka’s pace attack across formats. Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh is the assistant coach of the team.
Rain is predicted over the next few days and given that the stadium sits on a lake, even a drizzle could mean disaster for Mayank and his team.
Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey hereManuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, h...
Read MoreManuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, has dedicated over half of her 22-year journalism career to the publication. Specializing in
cricket and hockey, she has covered major sporting events including World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and world championships in billiards and snooker.
Known for her compelling human-interest stories, she has traveled extensively across Karnataka to spotlight untold talent and their journeys. An internationally
published sportswriter and former national-level hockey player for Karnataka, Manuja is a true-blue Bengalurean who also writes on the city’s culture and life, blending deep reporting with a passion for storytelling.
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