Constant rain and wet outfields have been a bugbear for Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Only 215 overs were bowled in the Karnataka-Madhya Pradesh game and that was followed by another rained-off match against Kerala in Alur. Although Karnataka went on to win their next game against Bihar convincingly, they are currently placed third, just outside the qualification berths. In that context, the Bengal-Karnataka encounter at the Chinnaswamy gains significance as both sides need a victory.
Karnataka are also in the middle of a transition phase. Experienced players like S Sharath and R Samarth have decided to try their luck somewhere else. There have been a few injury issues too, especially concerns surrounding Vidwath Kaverappa’s shin problem. “There have been many challenges this season, one is the weather,” Yere Goud, the Karnataka head coach, told RevSportz. “The second factor is injuries; Vidwath is injured. Sharath has moved out, so we had to bring in a new wicketkeeper-batter in Sujay. Samarth has also left us, Devdutt [Padikkal] has gone to the A tour, so there is an opportunity for some other batters.
“We needed some quick runs in a rain-curtailed game, yes, we brought in Abhinav Manohar. It is a transition phase, but everyone is mature enough. Probably, from here on, every game is a knockout game for us.We have to do well in the remaining four games, if we have to qualify for quarter-finals.”
Among the younger lot, Nikin Jose has shown some promise. The top-order bat composed a fine hand of 99 while facing Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka would also look towards Manish Pandey and Mayank Agarwal to provide heft to the batting unit.
The narrative surrounding the eagerly anticipated game isn’t just about how both states are in a spot of bother in terms of the points table, but also about Bengal not picking Mohammed Shami. The experienced Indian fast bowler has been battling a serious ankle injury over the last one year. Now, as per reports, he has been laid low by a side-strain too. It was eventually decided that he would miss out on a couple more domestic matches. At 34, Shami faces an uphill battle to return to complete fitness as he continues his rehabilitation.
If Karnataka have eight points, then Bengal have just five and are sitting in fourth spot. Abhimanyu Easwaran, the veteran opener who cracked a hundred against Uttar Pradesh, is currently with the India A set-up. So, the onus will be on Sudip Chaterjee, S Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed to take the responsibility of scoring runs.
Anustup Majumdar, the captain of the team, struggling to find his touch would be a worry for the Bengal set-up. In the bowling line-up, Bengal aren’t just missing out on the services of Shami, as Mukesh Kumar is with the India A squad Down Under. Mohammed Kaif and Shahbaz would be a couple of their vital cogs.
So, who will emerge triumphant in the crucial clash? Karnataka are playing on their home ground at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and they have gained a little bit of momentum from their previous encounter. Bengal, though, might have other ideas.
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Karnataka squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Nikin Jose, R Smaran, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Gopal, Sujay Sateri (wk), Hardik Raj, Vyshak Vijayakumar, Vasuki Koushik, Luvnith Sisodia, Mohsin Khan, Vidyadhar Patil, KishanBedare, Abhilash Shetty.
Bengal squad: Anustup Majumdar (C), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, PradiptaPramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek.
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