Karnataka have entered the quarterfinal of the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season undefeated. Their progress, though, hasn’t been as satisfactory as it reads on paper.
Karun Nair’s men finished third in the Group stage (A & B combined) on the back of four wins and as many draws. Among the four draws, the fact that the eight-time champions conceded innings lead three times is a proof that they had to play out of their skins to avoid defeats.
Even in their crucial final Group B game, Karnataka did emerge victorious but not before they were tested by an under-strength Baorda side.
Ahead of their last eight clash against Jammu & Kashmir from Thursday, Karnataka’s biggest takeaway from a less-than-impressive preliminary round is their fighting spirit. It could be a blessing in disguise that they endured a wobbly journey to the knockouts. For in big games, where the room for error is very small, the team that fights pressure will have the last laugh.
Karnataka’s recent history reveals the perils of peaking too early. In the 2016-17 (quarterfinal exit) and 2017-18 (semifinalists) editions, they steamrolled oppositions early on, only to wince away under pressure in the knockout rounds.
Having forced to consistently change their combination, stars seem to be aligning for Karnataka. The bowling unit, which suffered from injuries, wears a settled look with the return of Prasidh Krishna, K Gowtham and Abhimanyu Mithun.
Unlike previous seasons, Karnataka’s batting has remained second fiddle this time. Devdutt Padikkal, the find of the season, tops the chart with 547 runs. The gifted southpaw, with six half-centuries, has failed to get a big one yet. Karnataka would hope for R Samarth’s resurgence to continue. They would want Nair, like he did in the previous game, to step up when it matters again.
Nair predicted the surface at the Gandhi Memorial Science College to help the batsmen. “I have seen the pitch and we have spoken to some people here. They say it’s a good batting wicket,” he said.
Manish Pandey’s return couldn’t have come at a better time for Karnataka. “He (Manish) is a positive person and his return is a big boost to us,” Nair said.
Against the mighty Karnataka, J&K appear puny. But it’s interesting to note that it’s the low profile teams like Himachal and Madhya Pradesh that have troubled Karnataka this season. “If they have reached the quarterfinal, then it means they have done so many things right. It’s important for us to play to our potential,” observed Nair.
J&K topped the group with 39 points to reach their third Ranji quarterfinal ever. Playing in their own backyard, with an inspiring captain in Parvez Rasool, J&K will be eyeing to go one step further. At the outset, though, it appears a David vs Goliath contest.
Teams: Karnataka: Karun Nair (captain), Manish Pandey, R Samarth, Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Gopal, K Gowtham, KV Siddharth, Pavan Deshpande, A Mithun, Prateek Krishna, Ronit More, Prasidh Krishna, J Suchith, BR Sharath, Sharath Srinivas
Jammu & Kashmir: Pravez Rasool (captain), Ahmed Banday, Shubham Khajuria, Suryansh Raina, Fazil Rashid, Abdul Samad, Mujtaba Yousaf, Henan Malik, Jiyaad Magrey, Abid Mushtaq, Mohammed Mudhasir, Umar Nazir, Rohit Sharma, Aquib Nabi, Owais Amin Shah, Waseem Raza, Ram Dayal.
Other quarterfinal fixtures: Bengal vs Odisha (Cuttack); Gujarat vs Goa (Valsad); Saurashtra vs Andhra (Ongole).