Kerala and Maharashtra’s contrasting journeys in the group stage that led them to an identical 20 points from seven matches will be on collision course when the two sides meet in the pre-quarterfinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Saturday.
While Kerala’s struggles with the bat came to the fore during its 18-run defeat to Railways – that cost Sanju Samson & Co. a berth in the quarterfinal, Maharashtra’s league campaign was bookended by scores of 355 and 427 – the latter being the highest of the tournament thus far.
Samson’s valiant 128 in an unsuccessful 256-run chase against Railways epitomised Kerala’s predicament, as no batter, barring the skipper, has tallied 200 runs in the competition. Shreyas Gopal’s 53 in the same match was symptomatic of Kerala’s reliance on the lower middle-order, which also comprises Abdul Basith and Akhil Scaria.
ALSO READ: Karun Nair hopes for national comeback after career reset with Vidarbha
That Sachin Baby and Vishnu Vinod have accumulated less than 200 runs despite scoring a century each early in the tournament encapsulates Kerala’s middle-order blues, while Rohan Kunnummal and Mohammed Azharuddeen’s indifferent form at the top has compounded its woes.
The bowlers have shouldered the bulk of the responsibility and ensured the batters are not left chasing in excess of 200 even once in the tournament, while also successfully defending scores of 286 and 231.
Pacers Scaria and Akhin Sathar have been the toast of Kerala’s bowling with 13 and 10 wickets, respectively, while veteran quick Basil Thampi has chipped in with eight scalps. But on a traditionally batter-friendly surface at Rajkot, they will face their sternest test so far.
That they are up against Maharashtra could make their job only tougher. The side, led by Kedar Jadhav, has smoothly tided over the absence of India internationals Ruturaj Gaikwad, on national duty, and Rahul Tripathi, who has moved to Goa.
Opener Om Bhosale has struck three fifties and a ton for 389 runs in seven matches in his debut senior-level campaign, while the more seasoned campaigners Ankit Bawne, Maharashtra’s top-scorer with 491 runs, and Azim Kazi have been the spin in the middle-order.
Jadhav and Nikhil Naik’s lower-order contributions have also been crucial. Maharashtra has blended power-hitting with stunning consistency, a balance sides often struggled to grapple with in 50-over cricket, as six of its top seven batters boast a strike rate of more than 100 while averaging more than 50.
The bowlers, led by pacer Pradeep Dadhe and left-arm spinner Kazi, have also distributed their duties equally and comprise a well-rounded attack with enviable variety.
Maharashtra, on a four-match winning streak and runner-up in 2022, however, will be aware that it has not faced the most formidable of opponents in the group stage and will have reasons to be wary against Kerala, which toppled defending champion Saurashtra in its campaign opener.
The winner of this contest will take on Haryana in the quarterfinal on Monday, while Bengal and Gujarat will fight it out in the other pre-quarterfinal on Saturday for a chance to play Rajasthan in the last-eight stage.
Comments
SHARE