Hubballi (Karnataka), February 22 Skipper Devdutt Padikkal described the excellent form of his top-order batsmen as a confidence booster ahead of Karnataka's Ranji Trophy final against Jammu and Kashmir, which begins here on Tuesday.
Besides Devdutt, other frontline batsmen such as KL Rahul, Karun Nair, and R Suman are in fine form this Ranji season, fueling Karnataka's campaign.
"As a group, we are all ready and prepared for this opportunity, and we have the experience and knowledge to play big games. So, hopefully, our experience will be beneficial for us," Devdutt said on the eve of the Ranji Trophy final here on Monday.
"Besides me, there are other experienced international batsmen like KL Rahul, Mayank, and Karun, all of whom have been batting well," he added.
The Karnataka batsmen showed their strength, scoring over 1000 runs across two innings against Uttarakhand in the semifinal in Lucknow.
Devdutt said such efforts would enhance the bowlers' confidence.
"Obviously, scoring over 1000 runs in a game is definitely a big confidence boost for everyone. Not just the batsmen, to be honest. Even the bowlers, knowing that the batting line-up is capable of putting on a performance like that, it gives them a lot of confidence as well.
"It gives them the freedom to really enjoy themselves with the ball. It was a really good game for us in the second semifinal, and it puts us in a good position to really capitalize on that momentum going into the final," he said.
On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir does not have such pedigree batsmen or a glittering team history, but they compensate for this with a lot of determination.
This was evident in their wins over more fancied teams like Bengal, and skipper Paras Dogra hoped for a repeat.
"We are always keeping things very simple. We are not playing a complicated game. Before coming to Karnataka, we played in Kalyani (against Bengal) and Indore (against Madhya Pradesh). We won there.
"It's a confidence booster when we win against big teams at their home. We showed that we can do it, and we are enjoying each other's company, and hopefully, we can give a good account of ourselves in the final," said Dogra.
But is there a sense of nervousness ahead of their maiden Ranji Trophy final?
"No, everyone is enjoying it. They are relaxed. Obviously, it's a very big game. So, we are just trying to remain calm and composed. We will stick to our basics, which have taken us this far. We have a good skill level and we also have a good batting side," Dogra said.
"We will stick to that and see how it goes. I would like to say to all those who follow our cricket team, support the J&K team, and I think we are going to show that we are good," he added.
