Karnataka announce squad for Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, Manish Pandey to lead
Karnataka have announced a 20-member squad for their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal tie with Uttar Prades, starting June 6 at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur.
The domestic giants will miss the services of KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna, who will be busy with national duty. Rahul will lead the Indian team in the five-T20I series against South Africa, while Krishna has been picked for the fifth Test against England.
The Karnataka squad is scheduled to leave for the UK in the third week of June. However, the tall and lanky pacer has been advised to skip the game to manage his workload.
Meanwhile, V Kaushik has been recalled to the squad to bolster Karnataka's pace attack. The 29-year-old, who last featured in the 2019-20 season, has represented Karnataka in 39 First-Class games.
The team's spin arsenal also looks decent with Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, J Suchit and KC Cariappa in their squad.
Karnataka name 20-member team for #RanjiTrophy Prasidh not part of the team, @koushikfeddy19 makes a comeback.. looks like a balanced team with the available resources https://t.co/9Q7HatciP6
Their strength, however, lies in their batting. With Mayank Agarwal, captain Manish Pandey, R Samarth, Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal in their ranks, Karnataja boast one of the best batting units in the country.
Karnataka squad: Manish Pandey (C), Samarth R (VC), Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, Siddharth KV, Nischal D, Sharath Srinivas (WK), Sharath B R (WK), Shreyas Gopal, Gowtham K, Shubhang Hegde, Suchith J, Cariappa KC, Ronit More, Koushik V, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Venkatesh M, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kishan S Bedare.
"We have a well-balanced team" - Karnataka's selection committee chairman
Ranji Knockouts schedule! Final on June 20. #RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter https://t.co/bVR6YpOPQd
Karnataka's selection committee chairman Fazal Khaleel sounded bullish about his team's chances of winning the competition for the ninth time. The former player said that Karnataka have a well-rounded squad with a nice blend of experience and youth.
Speaking to TOI, Khaleel said:
“Although we will miss the services of Rahul and Prasidh, we have a well-balanced team. We have a good batting lineup which is complemented by a good spin attack and a fast bowling unit which is a mix of youth and experience.”
Karnataka topped the Elite Group C, winning two games, while one ended in a draw.