For an expressive cricketer, Dinesh Karthik’s reaction on getting his 11th Ranji Trophy hundred — and second in a final — was rather understated. Eight wickets down, Tamil Nadu were long out of the contest.
Karthik needn’t have lost himself in the plot anymore. Clear road ahead, no scope for delightful twists, he could bat the way he willed. Between 100 and 150, Karthik played with abandon as if to remind his teammates that this was still a bloody good surface to rake up big runs. Unlike the case on Day Three, Rajasthan had to wait for wickets.
They eventually dismissed Tamil Nadu for 295, and are 347 ahead having decided not to enforce the follow-on.
But Rajasthan’s struggle on Sunday has brought the toss into focus: would things have been different had Tamil Nadu batted first?
“A lot depended on the toss,” Karthik agreed. “I don’t think we are a bowling unit that can get only one wicket in a day. We have bowled out good teams. It’s unfair in a final when you’ve to bat second. When we batted, the ball kept low and bounced off the crack. It can get annoying. You feel you have been done in a little bit, but hats off to Rajasthan bowlers. They stuck to their task and kept bowling at the stumps. But we know we are a better team than what the scores suggest,” he added.
A 21-year-old wasn’t convinced though. “Battles are not won on tosses; they are won by playing hard in the middle,” said Rituraj Singh, who had figures of four for 76.
Weeks later, when Tamil Nadu reflect on this final, they’d admit Rajasthan were the smarter unit. Rituraj sussed out the right length more effectively than his experienced counterparts could. “Our best chance,” Rituraj said later, “was to make them drive.”
Rajasthan’s top order, too, got a simple plan right. Play straight, wear Tamil Nadu out. They were rewarded for a six-session hard work. It was only on the third day that Rajasthan chose to be a touch adventurous.
In contrast, two Tamil Nadu batsmen, M Vijay and K Vasudevadas, lost their wickets while trying to create scoring opportunities early. R Prasanna’s ill-timed run-out and Sunny Gupta’s casual stroke virtually sealed Tamil Nadu’s fate.
Karthik’s 150 has been the only redeeming feature for the hosts in the final. After Australia, a domestic cricket century creates just moderate enthusiasm. That said, Karthik’s form this season is undeniable. You see that in his confident forward stride, in the flexibility of his body, the way he freezes on his defensive strokes.
Before the final, he had told this paper that mere hundreds wouldn’t suffice for a comeback to the national team. He had to score big and get them in a way that he “can’t be ignored”. Thus far he’s made a big advance in that direction.
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