Blockbuster in the offing
Vivek MV, Visakhapatnam, Dec 23, 2016, DHNS
Cricket Ranji Trophy: Upbeat Karnataka take on Tamil Nadu in quarters from today
Sporting rivalries can bring the best out of two teams. If the stage is as big as the knockouts, the rivalry is sure to get all the more intense.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the southern giants in Indian domestic cricket, share a rich history of fierce competition between them. The two teams will write a new chapter in their traditional rivalry when they face each other here at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from Friday.
Karnataka, after a shock exit in the group stage last season, have made a strong return in this edition. Barring minor slip-ups in a couple of their league games, the R Vinay Kumar-led side have appeared as a solid unit.
Vinay’s men, who produced four straight wins out of five games in the initial part of the group stage, wobbled a bit in the second half. After settling for a draw against Odisha, Karnataka crashed to their first defeat of the season against Saurashtra. However, they recovered well to produce a thumping win against Maharashtra in the last league tie to carry momentum with them to the quarterfinals.
The return of K L Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey – the three key players in their famed batting line-up – enhances Karnataka’s chances in the crucial tie. Rahul and Nair, both coming on the back of brilliant knocks of 199 and 303 not out respectively against England in the fifth and final Test, are in fine touch. Pandey, who struck two back to back fifties in the group stage, will be hungry for a big one.
Tamil Nadu though will miss the services of off-spinning ace R Ashwin and opener Murali Vijay, both ruled out due to injuries after initially being named in the squad.
Ashwin, who enjoyed a terrific five-match series against England, will miss out due to sports hernia while Vijay was rested due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the fifth Test in Chennai.
Karnataka will hope for opener R Samarth, who has been one of the consistent players this season, to provide a solid start. Skipper Vinay has been in terrific touch with the ball while off-spinner K Gowtham will be a tough nut to crack for Tamil Nadu batsman.
With the surface promising to be seamer-friendly, Karnataka might think of going in with one spinner and three pacers with all-rounder Stuart Binny being the fourth seaming option.
“It looks like a green top but I don’t know how it’s going to behave. There is grass but the ball might come nicely on to the bat. We might think of an extra seamer but we are not sure yet. Stuart (Binny) is anyways there for us as the fourth seamer,” said Vinay.
Tamil Nadu, who didn’t enjoy an easy passage into the knock-outs, will bank on seniors Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik in the batting. Medium pacer Vignesh Krishnamoorthy, in his debut season, has been a revelation.
Last time these two teams met in Ranji Trophy, it was in the all-important final in which Karnataka thumped Tamil Nadu by innings and 217 runs. While Tamil Nadu will have old scores to settle, Karnataka will be aiming for another comprehensive show.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the southern giants in Indian domestic cricket, share a rich history of fierce competition between them. The two teams will write a new chapter in their traditional rivalry when they face each other here at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from Friday.
Karnataka, after a shock exit in the group stage last season, have made a strong return in this edition. Barring minor slip-ups in a couple of their league games, the R Vinay Kumar-led side have appeared as a solid unit.
Vinay’s men, who produced four straight wins out of five games in the initial part of the group stage, wobbled a bit in the second half. After settling for a draw against Odisha, Karnataka crashed to their first defeat of the season against Saurashtra. However, they recovered well to produce a thumping win against Maharashtra in the last league tie to carry momentum with them to the quarterfinals.
The return of K L Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey – the three key players in their famed batting line-up – enhances Karnataka’s chances in the crucial tie. Rahul and Nair, both coming on the back of brilliant knocks of 199 and 303 not out respectively against England in the fifth and final Test, are in fine touch. Pandey, who struck two back to back fifties in the group stage, will be hungry for a big one.
Tamil Nadu though will miss the services of off-spinning ace R Ashwin and opener Murali Vijay, both ruled out due to injuries after initially being named in the squad.
Ashwin, who enjoyed a terrific five-match series against England, will miss out due to sports hernia while Vijay was rested due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the fifth Test in Chennai.
Karnataka will hope for opener R Samarth, who has been one of the consistent players this season, to provide a solid start. Skipper Vinay has been in terrific touch with the ball while off-spinner K Gowtham will be a tough nut to crack for Tamil Nadu batsman.
With the surface promising to be seamer-friendly, Karnataka might think of going in with one spinner and three pacers with all-rounder Stuart Binny being the fourth seaming option.
“It looks like a green top but I don’t know how it’s going to behave. There is grass but the ball might come nicely on to the bat. We might think of an extra seamer but we are not sure yet. Stuart (Binny) is anyways there for us as the fourth seamer,” said Vinay.
Tamil Nadu, who didn’t enjoy an easy passage into the knock-outs, will bank on seniors Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik in the batting. Medium pacer Vignesh Krishnamoorthy, in his debut season, has been a revelation.
Last time these two teams met in Ranji Trophy, it was in the all-important final in which Karnataka thumped Tamil Nadu by innings and 217 runs. While Tamil Nadu will have old scores to settle, Karnataka will be aiming for another comprehensive show.
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