Mayank Agarwal, the prolific opener, has overcome a recent health scare and is set to lead Karnataka against Tamil Nadu in their upcoming Ranji Trophy Group C match in Chennai starting Friday. Agarwal encountered discomfort after consuming a liquid on the team's flight to Surat following their match against Tripura. Admitted to a hospital due to a burning sensation in his mouth and throat, the 32-year-old missed Karnataka's previous engagement against Railways. However, he has been cleared of any major medical hazards, paving the way for his return to the team.
In Agarwal's absence, promising batter Nikin Jose led Karnataka to a narrow one-wicket victory against Railways, with veteran Manish Pandey contributing an unbeaten fifty. Currently, Tamil Nadu leads Group C with 21 points, on par with Karnataka but leading the chart due to a superior net run rate of 2.06.
Agarwal's return is expected to bolster Karnataka's batting, as he has scored 310 runs from four matches at an average of 44, including two centuries and a fifty. Additionally, the inclusion of in-form Devdutt Padikkal further strengthens their batting lineup. Padikkal, who missed the last match due to national duty with India A, has amassed 369 runs in three matches at an impressive average of 92.25, with two centuries.
For the upcoming match against Tamil Nadu, Karnataka's squad includes Mayank Agarwal as captain, Nikin Jose as vice-captain, along with players like Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey, Sharath Srinivas (wk), Aneesh KV, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vasuki Koushik, Shashikumar K, Sujay Sateri (wk), Vidwath Kaverappa, Venkatesh M, Kishan S Bedare, Rohit Kumar AC, and Hardik Raj, with PV Shashikanth as the coach.
