By Admin 
Kerala and Karnataka will seek their first win of the season when the two sides meet in the third round Group B match at the KCA Stadium, Mangalapuram here on Saturday.
After an underwhelming start to its campaign this season, Kerala will look to maximise the home advantage to turnaround its fortunes against a Karnataka side which hasn’t been at its best.
But Kerala is yet to find the right team combination with the void left by Jalaj Saxena getting bigger with each match. The robes of leadership hasn’t looked comfortable on Mohammed Azharuddeen either for whom captaincy has stifled his free-flowing batting style.
For Kerala, the batting has been a big worry this season with the top-order failing to fire. To add to the the woes is Salman Nizar’s injury which has forced him to miss the upcoming match. However, Ahammed Imran’s gritty knock and B. Aparajith’s timely return to form holds promise for the host. With selectors dropping opener Vathsal Govind, his replacement, Krishna Prasad may get a look-in.
Kerala’s bowling is heavily dependent on conditions. Pace bowlers M.D. Nidheesh and N.P. Basil are good when there is help from the surface. Off-spinner Vyshak Chandran has been added to strengthen the spin bowling department where Ankit Sharma has ploughed a lonely furrow.
The Mayank Agarwal led squad hasn’t had a perfect match so far this season but it will look to exploit Kerala’s frailties. The prodigal return of Karun Nair and Shreyas Gopal has been impactful for the visitors. Karun is back doing what he does best, piling runs in domestic cricket while Shreyas’ dogged batting and crafty bowling has been useful for Karnataka. The home team would also be aware of the threat posed by Karnataka’s pacers. There will be help for pacers early on at the venue, which will be making its Ranji Trophy debut, making toss a vital factor in the contest.