Kolkata: Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal are under renewed focus as heavyweights Mumbai and Karnataka clash in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-finals in Bengaluru on Monday. In the day’s other last eight game, Uttar Pradesh have to quickly overcome the sudden absence of Dhruv Jurel as they take on Saurashtra.
With 640 runs in seven innings, including four hundreds and a half century, Padikkal is the tournament’s leading run-getter. If he continues to be a run machine, Padikkal might make it very difficult for selectors to overlook him as preparations for the ODI World Cup in 2027 come into focus after the T20 World Cup and the IPL in the second half of the year.
It has been a season of big scores in Vijay Hazare Trophy with a record centuries being struck, but no one has been as consistent as Padikkal. For Karnataka, who have lost just one match this season — to Madhya Pradesh — it’s crucial that Padikkal holds on to that form in what is surely going to be a battle of equals.
Mumbai don’t have Shreyas Iyer, who has left for national duty, but Sarfaraz shines bright in a line-up that still has the ability to score big. That didn’t happen against Punjab in what seemed like an unloseable match as they failed to get 16 with four wickets in hand, but Mumbai will find strength from the fact that they have been consistent otherwise. That defeat will also be remembered for Sarfaraz blazing his way to a 15-ball fifty, the fastest by an Indian in List A cricket.
Sarfaraz has been a strange case of a career peaking into a promising Test debut, only to be scuppered by questionable selection. His 303 runs have come at a scintillating strike rate of 190.56, which is a runaway best among all the batters with at least 300 runs. To extend that form into the knockouts is the only way Sarfaraz can strengthen his pitch to be considered for the white-ball format.
Unbeaten in the league stage, Uttar Pradesh are favourites in the day’s other quarterfinal against Saurashtra though Jurel has been named last-minute replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant in the ODI team for the series against New Zealand. With that goes 558 runs scored at an impressive strike rate of 122.9, but Uttar Pradesh still possess enough firepower in their batting lineup.
Opener Aryan Juyal has been in solid form, having hit 492 runs with two hundreds and two fifties. Captain Rinku Singh has found his touch again with a string of quickfire, unbeaten finishes. Significant too is the bowling form struck by leg spinner Zeeshan Ansari, the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets at an average of 14.33. Kuldeep Yadav was influential in the matches he played before joining the India ODI squad.
Saurashtra’s rise has been head turning, having lost two of their first three matches before winning four in a row to qualify for the last-eight stage. Their batters seem to be peaking at the right time with pacer Chetan Sakariya also in good rhythm. Also notable is Chirag Jani’s form. The allrounder has scored 268 runs at an average of over 38 apart from taking nine wickets at an average of 28.22.
