Karnataka will take on Tripura at the SDNRW Stadium on Monday in a Ranji Trophy match. The team has managed just two points from two games so far. They hope to turn things around after recent struggles with batting and fielding. A complete performance is needed to get back on track.
Karnataka's Shreyas Gopal, third right, celebrates with teammates after taking a wicket on day four of the Ranji Trophy first semifinal cricket match between Uttarakhand and Karnataka, at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow. (PTI Photo/Nand Kumar)
MYSURU: The city is still glowing in the afterglow of Dasara, with the lights from the 11-day festivities continuing to bathe the heritage city in gold. Karnataka will hope some of that festive cheer rubs off on their Ranji Trophy campaign when they take on a struggling Tripura at the SDNRW Stadium on Monday. The former champions have managed just two points from as many matches and sit sixth in the eight-team Group B. Against Andhra and Saurashtra, they let opportunities slip, conceding first-innings leads in contests where they could have collected at least three points. A combination of shortcomings has left Karnataka searching for answers. Often their batters have failed to convert promising starts or have fallen to soft dismissals. The bowling, too, has lacked penetration despite the return of experienced pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar. Fielding remains another concern, with dropped catches and misfields proving costly against Saurashtra. Karnataka are a team in transition, with several rookies still finding their feet. However, debutants Manvanth Kumar and Madhav Bajaj have shown enough promise to suggest that the new crop can make a difference. Tripura, who arrive after two heavy defeats — an innings and 40 runs against Hyderabad and a nine-wicket loss to Assam — offer Karnataka an opportunity to get their campaign back on track. But the hosts will need a more complete performance to make it count. The opening partnership is one area that demands immediate attention. Karnataka have used three different opening combinations across four innings due to non-availability of players, with first-wicket stands of 9, 18, 12 and 45. If they bat first, seeing off the new ball and building a substantial partnership in the opening hour will be crucial. The batting order is yet to fire collectively, and this fixture offers a chance to find its rhythm. Overcast conditions expected on the opening day could assist the pacers. Karnataka’s bowlers will need to maintain disciplined lengths and strike early, rather than allow Tripura’s batters to settle. Karnataka fielded just one spinner against Saurashtra at the KSCA Alur Stadium last week. They could consider strengthening that area and bring in left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty. Stand-in captain Shreyas Gopal remains confident that the team’s efforts will soon translate into results.
Join conversation
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
“The thought process for a Karnataka team is always to win. Unfortunately, we missed out on two points in both games, but I’m extremely proud of the way we are putting the opposition under pressure on batting-friendly wickets. We are giving ourselves a chance, and that good effort will show in the games to follow,” he said. Tripura, meanwhile, have struggled to come together as a batting unit despite having seasoned players such as India Test cricketer Hanuma Vihari and Mandeep Singh. Captain Manisankar Murasingh will be central to their hopes, leading the bowling attack while also arriving in form with the bat after scoring a quickfire century against Assam. For Karnataka, the equation is simple: against an opponent low on confidence, they need to turn promising passages of play into a winning performance.