"Extremely overwhelmed and happy" - Veda Krishnamurthy on being named Karnataka captain for Senior Women's One Day Trophy 2021/22

Ace India all-rounder Veda Krishnamurthy is all set to make her return to competitive cricket as captain of the 20-member Karnataka team named for the Senior Women's One Day Trophy, which will commence later this week.

Divya Gnanananda has been named her deputy, with the likes of India internationals Pratyusha Challuru and Monica Patel also included in the squad.

Karnataka will have Chhattisgarh, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda and Pondicherry for company in the Elite E Group, with all matches scheduled to take place in Nagpur.

Speaking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat, Veda expressed joy at being handed captaincy duties for the upcoming season.

"I'm very happy to be named captain after a long time, the last time I was captain was back in the U-19 days. Extremely overwhelmed and happy to be captain of this team."

The Karnataka star, who turned 29 on October 16, sounded confident of the team's chances of making the knockouts in their quest of winning the title.

"Very confident that this year Karnataka will do well and reach the knockouts, and hopefully even make the final. We've tried quite a few combinations in practice matches and the youngsters are eager to step up and contribute."

"Always something to learn from when we play Railways" - Karnataka pacer Akanksha Kohli

Domination is a word often used in sport, and no team has dominated the Women's Senior One Day Trophy like the Railways, who have won 12 out of the 15 editions played thus far.

While Railways are in Elite Group B, there's a chance that Karnataka could cross paths with the domestic giants in the knockouts. Shedding light on the prospects of playing them in the semifinals, Karnataka pacer Akanksha Kohli spoke about how the face-off is always "good competition".

"The Railways squad looks pretty strong, almost all their members are back except those playing the WBBL. Playing them is always a challenge, and it's good competition. We played them last year and lost by a big margin but there was something to learn from. There's a good chance we could meet them in the semifinal if we top our pool. Almost all teams are really good this time and we are playing after 7-8 months, so really looking forward to it," she said in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda.

As for the Karnataka squad, Akanksha is confident that the balance of the side could take the team well past the group stages.

"We've got a very solid team, a very balanced side compared to the last few years. We have a good chance to make the knockouts looking at our pool, but the aim is to win. The preparation has been good with a few practice games and we are all match fit. We'll have two net sessions before heading into the season, so excited about what is to come."

Bowling on the flat tracks at Nagpur won't be the easiest of jobs for Akanksha, though, who will lead Karnataka's pace battery in the tournament.

"It's going to be challenging, we'll see some high-scoring games. We'll also see some good totals to chase, it won't be easy but at the same time it will be fun and challenging. We aren't sure how the pitch will play out yet, but it should be a pretty good batting wicket."

With a rich mix of youth and experience in the side, Karnataka begin their campaign against Uttar Pradesh on October 31st.

Karnataka squad for Senior Women's One Day Trophy 2021/22 -

Veda Krishnamurthy (C), Divya Gnanananda, Rakshitha Krishnappa, Shubha Sateesh, Prathyusha Challuru, Monica C Patel, Rameshwari Gayakwad, Akanksha Kohli, Prathyoosha Kumar, Sanjana Batni, Sahana S Pawar, Shreyanka Patil, Chandu V, Vrinda Dinesh, Aditi Rajesh, Anagha Murali, Niki Prasad, Sowmya Gowda, Shishira Gowda, Ashmera Banu.