Shreyas Gopal's 5 best performances for Karnataka

One of Karnataka cricket's most dedicated players, Shreyas Gopal, will be moving to Kerala for the upcoming domestic season. Along with Karun Nair, Rohan Kadam, and KV Siddharth, Shreyas has also obtained an NOC from the Karnataka State Cricket Association board to play for a different team in the upcoming domestic cycle.

While Karun Nair is set to play for Vidarbha, Rohan Kadam and KV Siddharth will bat for Goa.

Shreyas burst onto the scene for Karnataka in the 2013-14 season and has been an integral part of the side since, impressing with both the bat and the ball. He's scored more than 3000 runs and picked up 218 wickets in 76 First-class matches for Karnataka, and has been vital for them in List A and T20 cricket as well.

He was also very successful in the IPL for a few seasons, with his confident performances against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), in particular, garnering him much praise.

Let's now look at Shreyas Gopal's top five performances for Karnataka.

(Honorable Mention: 5/35 vs Rest of India, Irani Cup 2013-14)

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#5 9/108 vs Hyderabad, Ranji Trophy 2017-18, Group Stage

Shreyas Gopal's best Ranji Trophy bowling figures came in this group-stage match against Hyderabad in the 2017-18 edition of the tournament. Shreyas Gopal's leg-spin proved to be the difference-maker for Karnataka in a match where the pitch flattened out and became easier to bat on as the game progressed.

After scoring 183 in their first innings, Gopal's stellar spell of 5/17 in less than 10 overs helped Karnataka round out their opponents for 136. As the wicket eased out, a Karun Nair ton and a fifty from Stuart Binny led to them setting a target of 380.

However, Shreyas picked up one crucial wicket to set the ball rolling for the Karnataka bowlers before returning to wrap things up in a more expensive second-innings outing of 4/91. Ultimately, his side won by 59 runs as he recorded his career-best FC figures.

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#4 5/19 vs Services, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, Group Stage

One of Shreyas Gopal's two T20 five-wicket hauls came in a group-stage match of the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Batting first, an outstanding 54-ball 129 from captain Manish Pandey, ably supported by a 75 from Devdutt Padikkal, helped Karnataka post a total of 250/3 in 20 overs.

On what was an excellent batting surface, Shreyas Gopal's bowling figures stood out among the rest. He picked up five wickets and conceded only 19 runs in his four overs, derailing any momentum the Services batters were building in their innings.

While his best bowling in T20s is 5/11, that came against a weaker side in Arunachal Pradesh, and this performance on a more difficult bowling track is one of his best.

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#3 5/19 vs Kerala, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16, Group Stage

One of Karnataka's biggest wins in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy came in the 2015-16 edition against Kerala. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the Kerala batters looked clueless as to what was lying in store for them.

Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind began the onslaught from the Karnataka bowlers, routing out the top order before Shreyas Gopal stepped in to completely control the game. Only two batters got to double-digits as Kerala were bowled out for only 49 runs in 22 overs, with Shreyas finishing with figures of 5/19 in five overs.

Karnataka chased it down with ease in only 5.5 overs, losing Mayank Agarwal's wicket in the process.

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#2 5/31 vs Hyderabad, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017-18, Quarter-final

One of Shreyas Gopal's most crucial spells came in the quarter-finals of the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Hyderabad. Batting first, Mayank Agarwal and Ravikumar Samarth shouldered the responsibility for Karnataka, both of them notching up impressive hundreds to take the side to 347/8 in their 50 overs. Shreyas Gopal chipped in with a useful eight-ball 11 towards the end of the innings.

On a good batting track, this wasn't an unassailable total for Hyderabad and they got off to a good start despite losing one of their openers early. Sandeep Bavanaka and Ambati Rayudu's 98-run partnership for the fourth wicket meant that they were cruising at 202/3 in 34.2 overs before Shreyas Gopal struck.

He removed both the set batters in the span of two overs, and cleaned out the entire Hyderabad middle-order, before coming back to wrap up the tail. He finished with 5/31 in 6.5 overs as Hyderabad collapsed from 202/3 to 244 all out, paving the way for Karnataka to enter the semis in a tournament where they became champions.

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#1 161* and 26/3 vs Uttarakhand, Ranji Trophy 2022-23, Quarter-final

Shreyas Gopal's 161* is his highest-ever score in FC cricket.

Shreyas Gopal has been a technically solid batter for most of his career and has five first-class hundreds to his name, scoring more than 3,000 runs in the format. His highest score in FC cricket is 161* and it came in the quarter-finals of the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season.

Put into bat by Karnataka, Uttarakhand couldn't manage a big score, with left-arm seamer M Venkatesh's five-wicket haul helping Karnataka bowl them out for 116. Karnataka then proceeded to bat their opponents out of their game. Each of the top four scored half-centuries and with the score at 307/4, in walked Shreyas Gopal.

He stitched up huge partnerships with Manish Pandey, BR Sharath, and Krishnappa Gowtham en route to his career-best knock of 161* off 288 balls. He smashed 16 boundaries and one six to remain unbeaten as Karnataka were bowled out for 606.

Gopal also got into the act with the ball in the second innings, picking up the last three wickets to finish with 3/26 as Uttarakhand lost by an innings and 281 runs.