Karnataka should make do with out its captain, Mayank Agarwal, when it takes on Railways in a vital Ranji Trophy Elite Group C encounter on the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat on Friday.
The opening batter suffered a well being scare on Tuesday, consuming a poisonous liquid whereas the crew was en path to Surat. The 32-year-old is at the moment underneath precautionary medical supervision in Bengaluru.
Mayank is Karnataka’s second top-scorer this version, with 310 runs in seven innings. Middle-order batter and designated vice-captain Nikin Jose will take over the mantle of skipper throughout his absence.
The crew’s top-scorer, Devdutt Padikkal (369 runs in 4 innings), continues to overlook out following his choice to the India A squad taking up the touring England Lions in Ahmedabad.
ALSO READ: Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Table topper Hyderabad appears to proceed successful momentum in opposition to Mizoram
The remainder of the batters have had a mean event to this point, however the crew will probably be boosted by the return of veteran Manish Pandey from damage.
The fast-bowling trio of Vidwath Kaverappa, V. Koushik and Vijaykumar Vyshak did a lot of the heavy lifting in opposition to Tripura, selecting up 17 wickets. With the red-soil pitch more likely to be in use, the administration will hope for extra contributions from 17-year-old all-rounder Hardik Raj and off-spinner Shashi Kumar.
Railways, alternatively, enters the competition after a morale-boosting 184-run win over Gujarat in Valsad. The crew is simply three factors shy of the highest spot and can fancy its probabilities to qualify for the knockouts.
Experienced leggie Karn Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief throughout the fourth innings in opposition to Gujarat, selecting up 4 wickets, however it’s all-rounder Yuvraj Singh (18 wickets in seven innings) and the tempo battery that has produced constant performances this season.
ALSO READ: IND vs ENG: Vikram Rathour optimistic about younger Indian batters forward of second Test; Sarfaraz takes cost on spinners in nets
Among the batters, Captain Pratham Singh (219 runs in six innings) and opening associate Vivek Singh have offered stable begins on the high, whereas Mohammad Saif has added some essential runs from the center order.
“We are currently playing really good cricket. We have the perfect mix of youngsters and senior players and some talented game-changers in our squad. We want to just stick to our plans and be calm because we have prepared well,” Pratham mentioned on the eve of the match.
With two matches left within the group stage and 4 groups tussling for 2 knockout spots, any slip-ups may show expensive.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
.jpg)
