Ranji Trophy: Bihar have their task cut out vs Karnataka | Cricket News – Times of India

With only a point in the kitty — that, too, from their abandoned previous game against Bengal — a beleaguered Bihar will play host to Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group C tie in Patna starting Saturday.
The third-round fixture is Bihar’s first home game of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season where they will be up against a side who are in a must-win situation following two weather-affected drawn games.
The Veer Pratap Singh-led home team will have to regroup and play out of their skin to take the fight to the star-studded Karnataka camp, who will be hungry for some game time on the field at Moin-ul Haq Stadium.
The onus will be on the hosts to prove they are no pushovers in the top tier of the premier domestic tournament, too.
As fate would have it, domestic heavyweights Karnataka are sixth in the eight-team group after collecting only two points from the opening two games. Their opening game in Indore was drawn as Karnataka’s first innings remained unfinished on the last day after Madhya Pradesh posted 425/8 decl. at the end of Day 3 following no play on Day 2 due to rain. Karnataka and MP took one point each from the game.
In the second game in Alur, Kerala could not complete their first innings after being asked to bat first by the hosts Karnataka. While the first two days were badly interrupted by the rains, no play was possible on the last two days. Karnataka again took home one point.
Following these two drawn games the eight-time champions are in a spot of bother in their quest for a quarterfinal berth of the premier red-ball tournament. Though they will be short on match practice, the Mayank Agarwal-led side will be in no mood to let that affect their game against a side that has lost their opening game against Haryana by an innings and 43 runs in Rohtak.
As Devdutt Padikkal is in Australia on India A duty, Karnataka have added KV Aneesh and Abhinav Manohar to the squad as cover for the top-order batter for their trip to Patna. Aneesh, 23, making his debut last season, has played four first-class games including the quarterfinal against Vidarbha, while Manohar is yet to make his red-ball debut.
The 30-year-old has the experience of playing T20s and List A games for Karnataka and IPL for Gujarat Titans. Karnataka pacer V Kaverappa will continue to miss action as he is yet to fully recover from the shin injury suffered during Duleep Trophy.