Only hours before the announcement, Shrijith ended KSCA’s T20 League tournament as its highest run-getter with 203 runs from five matches, at a strike rate of 133.55.
Currently serving a mandatory quarantine period at a resort in Bengaluru prior to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shrijith, in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, spoke about his maiden entry into the senior state side.
Shrijith will be representing Karnataka under the leadership of captain Karun Nair, and his deputy Pavan Deshpande, both of who were a part of the Vultures CC squad that clinched the title at the recently-concluded T20 League.
Having played an imperative role in Vultures CC’s title win, Shrijith reckons the understanding within the team will bode well for him on a personal level.
KL Shrijith keen to grab opportunity with both hands
2017 was a fantastic year for Shrijith, who scored heaps of runs across formats in the domestic circuit. Apart from 700 runs in the league stages, the young left-hander made a telling impact at the U-23 state level.
Shrijith notched up two centuries and one half-century in the 4-day encounters and followed it up with three fifties in five one-day matches. However, with big names free from national duty, Shrijith endured a long wait which lasted throughout 2018 and 2019.
For the upcoming 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali season though, Mayank Agarwal (National duty), Manish Pandey and KL Rahul (Injured) are notable absentees in the Karnataka line-up, opening up an opportunity for Shrijith to stake his claim for a spot in the batting order.
With a solid platform to showcase his talent and, in the process, cement his spot in the side, Shrijith is willing to bat as per the team’s demands.
KL Shrijith relishing prospect of facing off against ‘inspiration’ Suresh Raina
Karnataka have been placed in Group A alongside Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Railways, Jammu & Kashmir and Tripura for the upcoming 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali season.
A lot of eyes will be on the Group A proceedings, with former India all-rounder Suresh Raina set to return to action a couple of months after pulling out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons.
For Shrijith, the Karnataka v Uttar Pradesh is more than just another league stage encounter. Raina will be captaining UP, and the youngster is looking forward to a potential interaction with the CSK star.
While Uttar Pradesh and Punjab do appear strong on paper, Karnataka will house an early advantage. All the Group A league stage matches are slated to take place at the Alur Grounds in Bengaluru, a wicket that the hosts are familiar with.
Shrijith believes the ‘home advantage’ will help Karnataka this year.
After spending quite some time on the waiting list for the last few years, Shrijith now has an opportunity to make an impression with bat in hand. With home advantage in his favour and the backing of the team management, it probably wouldn’t be too long before the exciting youngster carves his path towards becoming a household name in Karnataka cricket.
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