'I'm at my best,' says Vinay Kumar

Karnataka have already won this year's Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup, and are now in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Their captain Vinay Kumar has been instrumental to their success, taking 17 wickets in the Ranji knockout stage and a ten-wicket haul in the Irani Cup.

Vinay has backed that up with 23 wickets at 10.30 to top the Vijay Hazare bowling charts. "I would say I'm at my best at the moment. I am happy with the way I'm performing," Vinay said on the eve of Karnataka's Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final against Jharkhand.

After a difficult one-day series against Australia last year, Vinay lost his place in the national team but was hopeful of making a comeback. "I've been performing well in whatever matches I played. Be it Ranji or Irani, I've been doing well. The rest is up to the selectors. Every match is important for me and I want to contribute in our team's win."

The pitches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout phase have been favourable to seamers, which Vinay felt would prepare batsmen for overseas conditions. "It's challenging for batsmen where they can improve their batting. When we go abroad, these kind of wickets will definitely help them perform really well. If we play 10 games, we get these kind of wickets in only one or two games."