CHENNAI: Eight-time winners Karnataka will be hoping for a good start in their semi-final tie against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy in Lucknow on Sunday.
The last time Karnataka entered the semi-final was in 2023, where they lost to eventual winners Saurashtra at home in Bengaluru. However, Karnataka, in the following seasons, had been a shadow of its former self. But this season has been full of promise.
Batting remains Karnataka’s biggest strength. New captain Devdutt Padikkal is in the form of his life as he returned with big wins in both List A and first-class cricket this year.
India’s Test opener KL Rahul enters the tie after a century (131) in the team’s quarter-final win over Mumbai. The Karnataka team management will also be delighted to see Ravichandran Smaran making runs as he remained unbeaten on 84 in Karnataka’s win at the BKC ground in Mumbai. Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair also suffered big blows earlier this season.
Saturday’s hosts Uttarakhand beat a team from Jharkhand that topped their group in the quarterfinals. Karnataka head coach Yere Goud expects a tough test.
“They have reached the semi-finals, they played good cricket all season. It is important for us, (that) we do our process correctly and focus on how we want to execute our game plans. It is important from the first moment to be there and be ready.”
One player the visitors will be wary of is their former bowling all-rounder Jagadeesha Suchith. He has been one of the most prominent artists in the historical journey of Uttarakhand so far. His numbers with both the bat and the ball have been key.
In eight matches, Suchith scored 414 runs at an average of 41.4 and, with the ball, scalped 25 wickets at an economy rate of 2.68. He will look to maintain his good streak against his former team.
Goud expects a good batting surface at the Ekana Stadium. “It’s probably a good batting service. It could probably falter a little bit at first and probably establish itself as a good batting cricket,” he said.
While only a few on the team remained from that 2023 semifinal loss, Goud downplayed the pressure and said the players would take it as just another game. “If you think about too many things, then we won’t be able to execute our game plans and not be fully present at that moment. It’s important that we try to play good cricket all five days. That’s what we concentrate on,” he said.
Another semi-final: Bengal vs J&K @ Kalyani (West Bengal)
