BENGALURU: The odds will be stacked against Karnataka when they take on 12-time champions Railways in the final of BCCI women’s One-Day Trophy at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday. It is a contest which pits the overwhelming favourites and defending champions against a resurgent young unit.
Both the teams have taken similar routes to the title round, having remained unbeaten throughout the competition and their semifinals contests being washed out. They advanced on the strength of their superior net run rate.
Again, weather which is gloomy and cloud-covered with more rain prediction, will play a decisive factor in who takes home the title. In the event of a no-contest due to the weather, Railways will retain the trophy on the basis of a better run rate. But Karnataka will hope for the rain to stay away and make a match out of the finale.
Against a star-studded Railways line-up led by stalwart Mithali Raj, Karnataka have everything to gain. Throughout the tournament the top-order, comprising S Shubha, D Vrinda and G Divya, have consistently delivered leaving the middle-order largely untested. The bowlers have done well too with both their economy rate and wicket taking abilities.
The host team skipper Veda Krishnamurthy, a former Railways player said, “I’ve played a lot of cricket with and against most of the Railways players, so I know their game. As a team, we have imbibed a brand of cricket which is aggressive in approach and style. In the final we hope to continue with it.”
On countering their fancied opponents, the middle-order batter pointed out, “Railways come into every match with a clear plan, so it is important for us to unsettle them early. It will boil down to seizing the moment and converting the half chances.”
