Having started the Ranji Trophy season with a fighting 99, Karnataka's Nikin Jose SJ will be hoping to keep the good work going against Kerala.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: With their take-off marred by inclement weather, Karnataka will once again keep their eyes on the skies as they seek to switch gears in their second Ranji Trophy Elite Group C encounter against Kerala starting in Alur on Friday.
The entire second day’s play against Madhya Pradesh in Indore was washed out and coupled with wet outfield and bad light, Karnataka couldn’t complete their first innings after the hosts had declared at 425/8.
As a result, both teams were forced to share a point each that did neither any good in a pool that Karnataka coach Yere Goud dubbed as a 'group of death.'
While the skies cleared up a bit in Bengaluru and surrounding areas on Thursday, the preceding three days of heavy rainfall has done considerable damage.
The outfield and practice pitches were still wet on Wednesday and Karnataka were forced to continue their training indoors. “The main square is in good shape but some areas of the outfield are still wet. We are hoping for some sun that’ll hasten the drying process so that we can start the game on time on Thursday,” Goud told DH.
When asked if bad weather that's following the Karnataka team like a shadow -- cloudy weather with spells of rain is forecast for the weekend -- is irking them, Goud said the team is only thinking about winning.
“We are not worried about the weather because it’s not in our hands and nothing can be done about it. Instead, we are focussed on our performance. We are focussed on getting a result in whatever game time is possible,” the coach said.
Karnataka, who will be missing Prasidh Krishna after the pacer injured himself in the opener, will really need to be at their best against a dangerous Kerala side who are brimming with confidence after downing Punjab by 8 wickets in their opener.
The focus will be on two seasoned stars – captain Mayank Agarwal and his deputy Manish Pandey. Agarwal made a three-ball duck against MP while Pandey, who has been struggling for consistency for the last few seasons, managed just 9 runs.
With Karnataka undergoing a major transition, especially on the batting front, a lot is expected from the duo considering they are the last remaining remnants of the all-conquering Karnataka team from a decade ago.
With the pitch at Alur generally favourable towards batters, the duo will be itching to get a big knock and show the juniors that they still have a lot of class and runs left in them.
One bit of welcoming news from the truncated affair against MP was the return to form of the young and talented Nikin Jose S J. The Mysuru middle-order batter struggled last season but now, after promoting himself to the opening slot, scored a fighting 99 to regain his mojo.
Karnataka will be hoping the sun shows its face consistently over the next four days so that they can get their campaign up and running.
Squad:
Karnataka - Mayank Agarwal (captain), Nikin Jose S J, Devdutt Padikkal, Smaran R, Manish Pandey (vice-captain), Shreyas Gopal, Sujay Sateri (wk), Hardik Raj, Vyshak V, V Koushik, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Mohsin Khan, Vidyadhar Patil, Kishan S Bedare, Abhilash Shetty.