Cricket Cricket Youngsters can step up in absence of Pandey, Rahul and Mayank: Karnataka coach Coach Yere Goud said that the youngsters in the Karnataka side will have the opportunity to make a mark as the side aims a third successive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. N. Sudarshan 09 January, 2021 19:56 IST Karnataka is a two-time defending champion but coach Goud felt that in T20 cricket there was little to separate teams. - SAMPATH KUMAR GP N. Sudarshan 09 January, 2021 19:56 IST Karnataka coach Yere Goud expressed confidence that youngsters would step up in the absence of bigwigs Manish Pandey, K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.“We can't replace those three players (Manish, Mayank and Rahul) because they are India players and a class apart,” he said. “But when we won the first Mushtaq Ali title two seasons ago, we didn't have KL in the squad. So youngsters have shown that they can step up. They must see this as another opportunity to make a mark.”READ | Fit-again Ishan Porel hopes to get some match time Goud’s confidence stems from his players’ performance in the recently concluded YS Ramaswamy Memorial Trophy and KSCA T20 league. “We watched the knockout games of both the tournaments and all of them played at their highest level in those games. So I feel we are ready.”Karnataka is a two-time defending champion but Goud felt that in T20 cricket there was little to separate teams. “This format itself is high-pressure. We can’t burden ourselves by thinking that we are two-time defending champions.”“It’s a tricky tournament. One over can change the match and any team can surprise you. The moment you start overthinking, you are in trouble. So we will keep things simple. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address. Dugout videos