In-form Karnataka start firm favourites
KOLKATA: Eight-time champions Karnataka will be hot favourites against Vidarbha, who are not sure of the services of India speedster Umesh Yadav, when the two sides clash in the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Karnataka, playing a semi-final tie after a gap of two seasons, have been the in-form team with captain R Vinay Kumar leading from the front.
The way they pummelled Mumbai, who suffered only their fifth innings defeat in the tournament, underlined their invincibility ahead of their last-four match.
Starting their season with three successive outright wins, Karnataka edged out Delhi to finish top of Group A.
At the heart of their good show has been Mayank Agarwal --this season’s highest run-scorer (1,142 runs) and R Samarth (643 runs).
Together, they are already the third most prolific opening combination after after Mumbai’s Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane, and Gujarat’s Priyank Panchal and Samit Gohel, in a single Ranji season in the last 12 years.
In the bowling department, off-spinning all-rounder K Gowtham has been lethal, taking 34 wickets in seven games while leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has come good too towards the business end of the season.
Vinay Kumar’s hat-trick against Mumbai should give the veteran pacer confidence going into the semifinal. MUMBAI: