Karnataka look ahead to the Dravid factor

There are two things fans can look forward to as Saurashtra face Karnataka in the last leg of the Ranji Trophy league round in Elite Group A encounter beginning on Wednesday at the Madhavrao Scindia Stadium at Rajkot.

There are two things fans can look forward to as Saurashtra face Karnataka in the last leg of the Ranji Trophy league round in Elite Group A encounter beginning on Wednesday at the Madhavrao Scindia Stadium at Rajkot.

First, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid in action at a domestic match. Second, whether Karnataka can maintain the winning momentum and make the cut for the knockout stage. Currently, Karnataka with 15 points are behind only Baroda (17 points). Andhra are in the third place with 12 points.

From Saurashtra’s point of view, there is only academic interest. With 9 points, they can’t make it to the next stage.

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With Dravid in the team, the axe might fall on young Gaurav Dhiman, who made his debut in the last match against Tamil Nadu. Saurashtra will miss Ravindra Jadeja as he is leaving for New Zealand to play for India under-19.

“We will play to win. It will be good to end the season on a winning note. We are not thinking much about who will play for them. At this level, we can’t really think on these lines. We are ready to play against anybody,” said Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah.

The track is likely to assist batsmen but with a bit of grass something might be there for the seamers.

Stars bring the flavour back

Rajkot: Suddenly, Ranji Trophy has become the flavour of the moment. With the Board making it mandatory for Team India players (with notable exceptions) to turn up for states, fans here are excited with the prospect of watching captain Rahul Dravid in action. A lot of them made a beeline to the stadium today to watch the teams practise. But they did not know Anil Kumble isn’t playing and Rahul Dravid was yet to join the team. They, however, left with a promise to return on Wednesday morning to pep up the hosts.

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Ketan Parikh was upset as he came from a nearby village to catch glimpses of Dravid and Kumble. “I came to see Dravid and Kumble. Then I gathered Kumble is not coming and Dravid yet to reach. If Dravid were here, it would have made my day as he is my favourite,” says Ketan. Ten-year-old Dev Trivedi hit the stadium in the morning with his dad. But he returned with a consolation. “At least, I could see former speedster Venketesh Prasad (Karnataka coach). (ENS)