Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Karnataka looks to breeze past Bihar in David vs Goliath battle

The round-three match is being held ‘behind closed doors’ starting Saturday with the Bihar Cricket Association president Rakesh Kumar Tiwary requesting spectators to follow the scores online.

India international Mayank Agarwal and his boys will not only be hopeful of winning but they will also be interested in bagging all of the seven points on offer. | Photo Credit: M. Vedhan/The Hindu

The odds are stacked in Karnataka’s favour as it looks to shut the door on Ranji Trophy ‘Group C’ underdog Bihar’s qualification chances during its trip to the Moin-ul-Haq stadium here.

The literal interpretation of the idiom isn’t lost on the occasion itself; the round-three match is being held ‘behind closed doors’ starting Saturday with the Bihar Cricket Association president Rakesh Kumar Tiwary requesting spectators to follow the scores online as the venue undergoes a massive overhaul.

The scenario comes in the wake of a huge public outcry after images of dilapidated stands found their way onto the Internet in January.

India international Mayank Agarwal and his boys will not only be hopeful of winning but they will also be interested in bagging all of the seven points on offer, having drawn their first two matches of the 2024-25 season for mere two points.

With the forecast seemingly favourable, that shouldn’t be a tough ask despite the absence of batter Devdutt Padikkal (on India A duty) and pacer Vidwath Kaverappa (nursing a shin injury from Duleep Trophy).

The eight-time champion will additionally be flying in reinforcements in the last iteration’s debutant K.V. Aneesh and middle-order batter Abhinav Manohar, who has had some IPL experience but is yet to earn his red-ball cap.

Yere Goud, Karnataka’s head coach, informed Sportstar of the possibility of a few strategic tweaks going into the crucial fixture.

“We might look at different bowling combinations. We need to look at the game from an angle where we can have batters getting us quick runs. However, we are going to finalise the playing eleven only tomorrow,” he said.

The host, with a solitary point from last week’s washout in Bengal, will be bolstered by the return of prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 13-year-old, who became the youngest debutant ever in a First-Class outing in the previous season, is coming fresh off hitting a century against Australia U-19 in the Youth Tests.