Team spirit key to Karnataka success

Gone are the days when spinners used to rule the roost in India. The quick-men have taken over. We have heard of fast bowlers hunting in pairs and we have seen some lethal bowling combinations in the game of cricket. In the Indian domestic circuit too there have been several bowlers who have done well in partnership to win their team laurels. For treble title-defenders Karnataka, they have a pack of three which has consistently delivered for its team for the past couple of seasons. Such has been the troika's effectiveness that the Vijay Haraze Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup title holders in two consecutive seasons, Karnataka, are enjoying a superb unbeaten streak.

Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Sreenath Aravind have been at the fore-front of Karnataka's undefeated run of 29 First-Class matches, and the streak may continue in the next season as well, as they still have the hunger to perform, they want to work even harder, they do not sit back and bask on past glories, and they enjoy each other's success as if it were their own.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Mithun said the urge to play for the country, working hard on their skills, individual goals and complementing the team's cause have been the main reasons for Karnataka's amazing run. "It's been amazing for the last two years. Everyone is contributing and everyone is doing good as a player. Everyone is looking to play at the next level. Every year, we work on our skills at the start of the season and if we perform well individually, at the end of the day, it contributes to the team's cause."

Aravind added, "There is not particular secret to our success. It's just our dedication to the game, bringing out our best as players and building on the team spirit that we have."

Vinay, Mithun and Aravind have been serving Karnataka for some years now and being the senior members of the side they, prefer to lead by example. Even if one of them has an off-day, the others make up for it. However, they do not take success for granted. They may be a lot different when it comes to their style of bowling, but their attitude is pretty much the same.

"Ever since my First-Class debut (in 2009), I have been playing with Vinay and Aravind and it has been a good journey. Each player has his own traits and individual goals. But when we put that to action, we work as a unit and see to that we are able to handle any situation. All three of us take the responsibility being senior players and we always like to set an example," said Mithun.

Aravind echoed Mithun's thoughts: "All the bowlers in our team are hard-workers. Mithun likes to hit the deck hard and he bowls 135-140 kph, Sharath does that too. Vinay and me bowl consistently bowl around the 126-130 kph mark and we concentrate on line and length. We all work as one unit and we are happy for each other's success. We are all attacking bowlers, thinking about wickets all the time and not giving runs to the batsmen."

In the recently-concluded Ranji season, Vinay emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 48 scalps and he was closely followed by Aravind, who picked up 42 wickets to be placed fourth on the top wicket-takers' list. Mithun too featured on the list as he took 39 wickets to finish joint seventh. "It's a very honourable achievement to be on the top wicket-takers' chart. Our hardwork, consistency in our bowling and mainly concentrating on lines and lengths have given us good rewards," said Aravind.

For Mithun, who Vinay felt has improved bounds in the last few years, it's all about training hard, thinking about the game and never taking shot-cuts. "I have learnt a lot in the last few years and I have worked hard. Whenever I get a chance, I want to perform. I watch my videos and talk to the coaches to see what I can do better and learn more things. I have worked on all aspects of my game in the past few years to be ready for any kind of situation that arises. My coaches and my trainer have helped me improve. Last year, I did not play in the IPL. But, I would come to the Alur grounds every day and practice for close to four hours. I trained for three-four months and never missed my training. I used to record videos of my training and took the videos to my academy coaches to see if I could do better."

Vinay and Mithun will be team-mates under the Mumbai Indians banner when the 2015 edition of Indian Premier League kicks off, and if given an opportunity, Mithun is confident that he can make a few heads turn. "I did not play in the IPL last year and I was eagerly waiting to play. I am confident that I can do well and impress the coaches. If a get a chance, I want to perform and play as many matches as possible. In domestic cricket, IPL is a big stage and I am keen to perform well and get noticed."

Aravind, who has tasted IPL success in the past with Royal Challengers Bangalore, had no takers this season but that won't deter him from working even harder. "Definitely, I was a bit disappointed about not being picked to play in the IPL. But I didn't think too much about that. I will continue to train hard in the off season, keep myself fit and hang around with cricket. I had stepped into the Indian team (had received a call-up for the home series against England in 2011) but I didn't get a chance. However, that's nothing to worry, let's try and keep working hard."

For Vinay, it's keeping things simple and not looking too far ahead. Training hard and thinking about the game all the time is what works for Mithun while Aravind's mantra is dedication to the game and team spirit. The three players may think differently, play differently and speak differently. But, as the experienced troika of Karnataka cricket, their path converges as one.