Mohali: The last time Karnataka and Punjab met in the Ranji Trophy contest was a month ago with the Punjab team in disarray. The two sides clashed in a Group ‘A’ league encounter at Hubli where R. Vinay Kumar’s side romped home to victory with a bonus point.
But cut to the present, much has changed in the Punjab unit, especially with the return of their experienced stars in skipper Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.
Although Karnataka are playing in the Punjab team’s den, Vinay believes Karnataka hold a psychological advantage over the hosts.
“They’re a good side. We will have the extra advantage of having beaten them with a bonus point in the group stages. But of course it’s a different ball game now. League stages offer you a chance to come back, but in the knockouts it’s very different,” said Vinay, on the eve of the match.
But home team skipper Harbhajan was confident that the league-stage loss was a thing of the past and would not return to haunt them.
“That game is over. We are playing at home and are confident of doing well. We know the conditions here well. It is a different game. What we have done is gone, it’s a fresh game, we have a good side and we have played some good cricket. Karnataka have played some good cricket to reach the semifinals as well, so it will be a good contest,” said the spin wizard.
Harbhajan also felt the weather would be a key factor in deciding the fortunes of the teams, and on that count, his team was better equipped to brave the cold.
“I think the weather will come into play and it’s quite cold. Hope the fog stays away from the game and we get to play the whole day. It’s pretty cold for the guys coming from down South. We know our conditions but we don’t want to take it for granted.”
With the temperature dipping to a low of about 12 degrees during the day, Karnataka’s batting coach J. Arun Kumar is hoping to counter the frosty weather by getting some coal heaters during breaks for his wards.
