Bengaluru: Karnataka, who have seen their first two matches massively curtailed by rain, will be hoping the weather gods finally show some mercy as they look to resurrect their Ranji Trophy campaign that lies marooned after just two points in their kitty.
Forced to share a point each in their opening Elite Group C clash against Madhya Pradesh in Indore owing to rain and wet outfield, eight-time champions Karnataka watched in utter dismay as the rain followed them to Alur as well for the match against Kerala.
Barely any play was possible in the last two days despite the best efforts of the KSCA ground staff as Mayank Agarwal and Co watched on helplessly. A second successive non-completion of two innings has left Karnataka lying sixth (2 points) in what their coach Yere Goud dubbed as the ‘Group of Death’.
Hoping to catch sunshine and a full game as they boarded the flight to Patna for the clash against bottom-dwellers Bihar (1 point) starting at the Moin ul Haq Stadium on Saturday, Karnataka’s rotten luck with the weather has continued. It was cloudy all day on Friday and their practice was interrupted by a drizzle too.
“I’m really lost for words with the rain following us like a shadow,” a concerned Goud told DH. “However, it isn’t as bad as Alur or Indore and the forecast is sunshine for the next week. We are hoping for good weather so that we can put out a good show and get our campaign going.”
Karnataka will be forced to make at least one change after Devdutt Padikkal was picked for India A’s tour of Australia starting October 31. One possible option is to hand the exciting and hard-hitting Abhinav Manohar a first-class debut, considering Karnataka need nothing less than an outright win to stay alive in the quarterfinal race.
The 30-year-old Manohar, a white-ball specialist who loves smacking the ball into the stands, comes following a hugely successful KSCA Maharaja Trophy where he scored 507 runs at an average of 84.50. Stunningly, he got them a strike rate of 196.51, smashing 52 sixes in 10 games. That’s an average of 5.2 sixes per game!
Although the statistics reveal Manohar is a pure middle-order marauder, the Bengalurean is actually a smart operator. He knows when to swing the bat and backs himself whenever he chooses to pull the trigger. Improved shot-selection and work on temperament prior to the season is what brought him consistent success.
Manohar now wants to achieve the same high in red-ball and in an interview with DH last month had stated his intention of playing the Ranji Trophy. The time is ideal for Karnataka to try him out.
Elite Group C fixtures: Bihar vs Karnataka, Bengal vs Kerala, Madhya Pradesh vs Haryana, Punjab vs Uttar Pradesh.