Agarwal eyes stellar finish as Karnataka face Haryana in semifinal

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal will aim to continue his remarkable form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he leads his team in the semi-final against defending champions Haryana in Vadodara on Wednesday. Karnataka will bank on the contributions of Agarwal, Shreyas Gopal, and Prasidh Krishna, while Haryana will depend on players like Nishant Sindhu, Anshul Kamboj, and Ankit Kumar.

The 33-year-old Agarwal, eager to catch the eye of IPL franchises after going unsold in the mega auction, hopes to cap off the tournament with a strong performance, having already notched up four centuries. Alongside Karun Nair, Agarwal is the only other batter to have crossed 600 runs this season. Head coach Yere Goud highlighted a pivotal moment that spurred Agarwal's turnaround. “One big knock before the tournament gave him the momentum to score more runs. It happens to anyone who has played international cricket,” Goud explained.

So far, Agarwal has amassed 619 runs at a stellar average of 123.80, with a strike rate of 109.75. Karnataka also has KV Aneesh, who has scored 342 runs in eight matches, and Devdutt Padikkal, who smashed a century in their quarterfinal win over Baroda. On the bowling front, Karnataka is buoyed by the consistent performances of Shreyas Gopal, with 16 wickets in eight matches, and seamer Vasuki Koushik, who has taken 17 wickets in 10 games.