The cricket rivalry between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu runs deep and each time the two southern powerhouses face each other, it is always pinned as a marquee clash. The Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final contest between the two sides on Tuesday will be no different.
This is their third meeting of the season. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, Tamil Nadu had pulled off a last-ball victory. Earlier this month, TN routed Karnataka by eight wickets in the Vijay Hazare league phase and went on to top the group and earn a direct entry into the last-8. Karnataka had to take the pre-quarterfinal route and sealed an eight-wicket win over Rajasthan to advance.
At the KL Saini stadium in Jaipur, that extra match could prove crucial for Karnataka, since it gives them an advantage in terms of familiarity of conditions.
The nip in the air and the batting-friendly surface promise a fine contest. Karnataka are unlikely to tinker with their bowling line-up with the pace trio of Prasidh Krishna, Vyshak Vijaykumar and M Venkatesh delivering against Rajasthan on Sunday. Also, the spin duo of Pravin Dubey and K Gowtham bring their all-round abilities and can be counted on to score some quick runs.
With the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Baba Indrajith, Vijay Shankar and Shahrukh Khan in the mix, Tamil Nadu bat deep and the bowlers will have a tough task on hand.
Tamil Nadu, who have gone spin-heavy throughout the season, will bank on Sandeep Warrier, J Kousik and M Mohammed to lead the pace department.
The toss will be crucial and Karnataka’s top-order batsman KV Siddharth said, “The toss will be a factor because of the weather conditions. The team bowling first will have an advantage in the first 10 overs. If you can get some quick breaks with the new ball, then you have the early advantage.”
Among the concerns for Karnataka will be a good start by openers R Samarth and Devdutt Padikkal and their ability to see through the powerplay without much damage in terms of wickets. Samarth, Siddharth and Manish Pandey have been among runs and Karnataka will hope for Padikkal to make some notable contribution.
On Karnataka’s twin defeats to TN this season, Siddharth said, “We haven't been able to capitalize on crucial moments, especially the powerplay. On both occasions, TN got the better of us in powerplay and that shifted the momentum in their favour. But the T20 final went down to the last ball.”
Karnataka will look to cash in on the fact that Tamil Nadu come into the match on the back of two twin losses in the league. Their last two league outings against Pondicherry and Baroda ended in a one-run (VJD method) and 41-run defeat respectively.
