Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, A Mithun among stars
*JKCA players will have to pull up socks to create history
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 19: Parvez Rasool-led formidable Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy team will take on star-studded Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals at GGM Science College Hostel ground, here tomorrow.
Karnataka finished on third spot at the group stage in the Elite Group A&B, securing 31 points by playing 8 matches, winning four and drawing the other four, while Gujarat and Bengal were on first and second spots in this group with 35 and 32 points respectively.
On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir finished first in Elite Group-C, securing 39 points in nine outings, with six wins, one loss and two draws. Odisha remained at second spot in this group with 38 points by winning five, losing two and drawing two matches.
Under the Mentorship of former Test cricketer, Irfan Pathan, Jammu and Kashmir team has played as a cohesive unit and it is delight to watch mental toughness of the players, so the quarterfinal battle would not be a cake-walk even for the strong side like Karnataka.
J&K boys possess everything to create a history at their home, but they need to pull up their socks and stick to the basics.
On the batting front, Karnataka will heavily rely on Manish Pandey, who was on national duty in the earlier outings and skipper Karun Nair, besides all-rounders Gowtham K and Shreyas Gopal. Ravikumar Samarth and Sharath also add strength to their batting line up, while Jammu and Kashmir batting will rely on the quartet of seasoned Shubham Khajuria, skipper Parvez Rasool and youngsters Abdul Samad and Shubham Singh Pundir. Opener Suryansh Raina is also shaping well, while utility batters down the order in all-rounders Abid Mushtaq and Auqib Nabi have also proved more than useful at the group stage.
In the bowling department, Karnataka will have all eyes on the duo of speedsters Abhimanyu Mithun and M Prasidh, besides spinners Shreyas Gopal and Gowtham, while on the bowling front, J&K will heavily rely on the bowling trio of skipper Parvez Rasool, young left-armer Abid Mushtaq and hit the deck seamer, Auqib Nabi. Experienced campaigner Umar Nazir will also be a player to watch.
However, J&K may face a bit of problem in selecting the Playing XI. One gets a feeling that there may be two or three changes in J&K’s Playing XI from the team that played against Haryana in the last group match. Ahmad Omar Banday may replace Jiyaad Nazir Magray, Umar Nazir Mir may replace Ramdayal, while left-arm medium pacer, Mujtaba Yousuf, despite his 6-wicket haul in the last outing may be asked to make way for experienced Mohammad Mudhasir.
Though, an interesting battle on cards, yet Karnataka will enjoy a certain edge over J&K, despite their home advantage.
The teams: Probable XI (J&K): Parvez Rasool (Captain), Suryansh Raina, Ahmad Omar Bandey, Shubham Khajuria, Shubham Singh Pundir, Abdul Samad, Fazil Rashid (Wicketkeeper), Auqib Nabi, Abid Mushtaq, Umar Nazir, Mohammad Mudhasir/Mujtaba Yousuf.
Karnataka Probable XI: Karun Nair (Captain), Manish Pandey, Ravikumar Samarth, Devdutt Padikkal/ Pawan Deshpande, Sidharth KV, S Sharat (Wicketkeeper), Shreyas Gopal, Gowtham K, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ronit More, M Prasidh.
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