Karnataka lifted the Ranji Trophy for the seventh time with a seven-wicket win over Maharashtra in the 2013-14 season. During the five-day clash at Hyderabad, the Vinay Kumar-led team kept a strangle hold on the game as Karnataka won the title.
Karnataka vice-captain CM Gautam said, “It feels great. We have been working for the past five years. We were runners-up in 2009. We have won the trophy after 15 years.”
“The mood is fantastic (in the dressing room). We have been waiting for this occasion since 2009 when we lost the final. After that we had been working very hard for this occasion.
Asked about the turning point of the match, Gautam replied, “The turning point was the morning session on the second day when we cleaned up the lower half of the Maharashtra batting taking five wickets for just 33 runs.”
Speaking about the pitch he observed, “The pitch behaved right through the match in the same manner: on the slower side, and not much turn even on the final day.”
On his team, Gautam said: “The success story of many youngsters in this successful campaign is also a reflection of the bench strength we have. A lot of youngsters have been performing well in different age groups consistently and, more importantly, when they were given the chance they proved their mettle.”
