There is at times doubt over what Shreyas Gopal’s primary skill is — his batting or his leg-spin — but Karnataka will not care. To his team, he is simply, and emphatically, an all-rounder.
Shreyas now has 524 runs and 32 wickets to his name this season; on Saturday he scored a potentially game-changing half-century, digging Karnataka out of trouble and leading it to a position of strength in its Ranji Trophy semifinal clash against Saurashtra. And this after having top-scored with 87 in the first innings.
The best
“I have been playing with him from my schooldays; this is the best I have seen him bat,” said Karun Nair, after the third day’s play here.
“He has taken responsibility and has also played according to the situation. To get fifty in both innings is amazing. Getting fifty over here in the second innings is like getting a hundred.”
Temperament
Karun hailed Shreyas’s temperament. “He has always been level-headed. He is someone who knows his strengths and he knows where he can get runs and he will not go away from that.
“He has got some crucial runs when we have been in difficult situations when the team has needed it the most. He has taken a step forward,” he said.
Karnataka was well-placed to push for victory, Karun felt. “We are in a good position,” he said.
Credit to bowlers
“The wicket is going to get tougher and tougher. Our bowlers were brilliant in the first innings. We did not bat well in the first innings, so credit goes to the bowlers, but we have to come back tomorrow and do it again.”