India, Feb. 15 -- When the BCCI ruled the pitch at Dehradun's Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uttarakhand, being the hosts, picked Lucknow's Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against formidable Karnataka starting on Sunday.

A slow track is expected to help the resurgent Uttarakhand, aiming for their maiden Ranji title. Their experienced left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra is the leading wicket-taker with a tally of 52 wickets, half of the scalps coming from just three matches in the second half of the season. The bowler next to Mishra, Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi (46) will also aim to punch above his weight in the other semi-final against Bengal, to be played in Kalyani near Kolkata....