END OF AN ERA

Vinay Kumar moves base from Karnataka to Puducherry

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

With 459 first-class wickets so far, the 35-year-old is the highest wicket-taker among pacers in the history of the Ranji Trophy © Getty

After a remarkable stint with Karnataka, pacer Vinay Kumar has decided to move base to Puducherry, signalling the end of an era in Karnataka cricket. Kumar, now 35, is best known for leading Karnataka to victories in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Irani Cup for two consecutive seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Kumar made his first-class debut for Karnataka in the 2004-05 season and has since picked 459 first-class wickets - the most by a pacer in the history of Ranji Trophy - at an average of 23.53. He also scored some handy runs down the order, as a first-class batting average of 21.45 and two centuries would suggest.

The 2007-08 season marked his arrival as he finished as the second leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy season. The 2009-10 Ranji Trophy season saw him pick 46 wickets and lead Karnataka to the final for the first time in 11 years. He formed a three-pronged pace attack with Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind, allowed both of them to flourish under his guidance.

Kumar was replaced by Manish Pandey as captain in the middle of Vijay Hazare trophy in 2018-19, but continued to play a key role. He even scored the fifth-most runs for his state in his latest outing in Ranji Trophy but could only pick 14 wickets, a stark drop in standards he had set for himself.

Even though Kumar has dropped pace since his hay days, he continues to be a canny bowler and will be a key addition to the Puducherry side, which finished third behind Uttarakhand and Bihar in the Plate division last year.

© Cricbuzz