Four Karnataka youngsters to watch out for in the Ranji Trophy

India’s growing fad for cricket has seen the nation prance in tempestuous tones even at the slightest hint of the willow meeting the leather. With the IPL in foresight, the BCCI also announced the onset of its biggest domestic competition which was forced to undergo a paradigm shift in its format due to the raging pandemic.

However, the BCCI confirmed on Wednesday that the tournament is going to kick off in less than a week’s time and the youngsters, even though it is going to be a handful of chances, will get the coveted opportunities that they waited for with bated breath to prove their mettle.

This year’s Ranji will be completely different from the ones that we have witnessed to date with a complete change of events. However, the hunger of the youngsters would still burn bright while every state would put forth their best names to clinch the silverware. As we talk about youngsters and untenable spirits, this story will bring forth four youngsters to watch out for from the Karnataka Ranji team.

1.    Shubhang Hedge

It is a pretty rare phenomenon where a left-arm orthodox slow bowler manages to grab the limelight with an enigma of his own. However, Shubhang has been an exception to this established maxim. The 20-year-old spinner has found himself rubbing shoulders with the big guns of Indian cricket and weaving an insoluble web for the batters to be ensnared in. Even though the youngster has been out of competitive cricket for more than two years now, he continues to impress in the nets. He is not only known for his bowling but a decent flair with the willow has added an extra edge to his explosive repertoire. He played an important knock of 25 from just 20 balls against a Zimbabwe youth team where India teetered badly along the fringes of mediocrity. However, the Indian bowling bundled out their counterparts for a mortifying 44 with Hedge claiming two important wickets. His tally against Zimbabwe has been pretty noticeable with him claiming a three-fer in another contest. In a match-up against the Afghan youth team, even though India couldn’t secure a win, it was an impressive display from Shubhang that tightened the grip on the choke that India managed to impose upon their counterparts. He also backed it up with a couple of scalps.

2.    Vidhyadhar Patil

If Hedge was a name that owned the List A arcade, Patil is someone who has been consistently delivering on the domestic front. Even though his returns aren’t sky high, the 21-year-old fast bowler has managed to claim wickets at regular intervals at a more or less decent economy rate. He is a fine medium fast bowler and is capable of mixing his pace up nicely. The games against Thiruvananthapuram, Mangalapuram, and Delhi saw him breathing fire with a stringent display of line and length.

3.    Abhinav Manohar

Manohar is an experienced campaigner in the state team and will add a lot of value to the Karnataka batting order. He has already proven his mettle in the domestic circuit with some fine knocks. In Karnataka’s slump against Tamil Nadu, Abhinav stitched together a fine 34 from just 32 balls that featured a couple of boundaries and a couple of massive sixes. Manohar played an important role against Tamil Nadu in the SMAT final where his 37-ball-46 propelled Karnataka to 151. He played a game-changing 49-ball-70 that saw his state bagging a crucial win from almost an impossible situation with one ball to spare. He smashed six colossal hits to put fire to his knock. His 14-ball-30 blitzkrieg in the Karnataka Premier League against the Rockstars will be another highlight of his insane striking ability.

4.    Aneeshwar Gautam

Aneeshwar Gautam is a fine batter and can also add some venom with his rollicking bowling display. His unbeaten 54 against India A followed by his braces against Ireland and West Indies in the U19 World Cup gave room for decent experimentation in the Indian bowling ranks. He will be instrumental to the likes of Karnataka, considering the fact that the availability of a slow-bowler who can stitch together some crucial runs will walk miles in the tail of an innings