NEWS
Follow UsSouth Zone bowlers put up a dream performance to help them clinch their first outright title since 2010. The Hanuma Vihari led side comprehensively defeated a star-studded West Zone by 75 runs.
The skipper was extremely pleased with the performance, and didn’t seem to have any problems leading a side with such talents.
"Yeah! Definitely I enjoyed captaincy. When you have a team like that you will enjoy doing captaincy. When you have this kind of bowling attack, captaincy pressure will come down.
“It was our plan to curtail them to below three runs per over, and they executed it as the quality bowlers will make the captain's job easy," said Vihari.
He was anything but miserly while praising his pace attack, all three of whom coincidentally played for the same state side as well.
"All three Karnataka fast bowlers who played this match knew the wicket very well. I had said earlier as well that having bowlers who know the conditions is an advantage to us. But to be able to put it into use is another thing, all three of them showed their skills.
Priyank Panchal was in top form during the chase, despite wickets falling at regular intervals from the other end. His 98-run-stand with Sarfaraz Khan kept West Zone in the hunt for the trophy, but their dismissals in a span of three overs all but sealed their fate.
“The West Zone batters have a lot of quality on paper and to get them out needed special skills and they executed it well.
"Yesterday in the third session, Priyank and Sarfaraz batted really well. His dismissal was the turning point, I thought. If Sarfaraz was there, he could have handled that spell of Vidwath and Koushik, and getting Sarfaraz's wicket in the last session was the turning point," he added.
