Ranji Trophy: Upbeat TN gears up for Jharkhand challenge

Vijay Shankar’s impressive form augurs well for Tamil Nadu as it takes on Jharkhand in its final Ranji Trophy Group D match.
| Photo Credit: File: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

: There’s a reason why the familiar phrase ‘sticking to the basics’ is oft-repeated in cricket parlance to the point of rendering it banal. As hollow and superficial as it may sound, it’s easier said than done.

Similarly, heading into the final group match in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu skipper R. Sai Kishore offered a simple team philosophy that’s both hard and ideal: Focus only on the process of playing well, not on the outcome.

“More than anything, you should play well. Whatever the condition, and whatever the scenario is – irrespective of other results going your way or not – I feel you have to play well. You have to play your best cricket. That is our main focus,” he said on the eve of his team taking on Jharkhand at the Keenan stadium here on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu has the best possible last-eight qualification scenario – it just needs a draw, regardless of the other results in its group. Naturally, the team is upbeat and it showed in Sai Kishore’s words.

On his team’s chances of winning the trophy, especially with domestic giants like Mumbai and Karnataka facing challenging scenarios for qualification, he said: “That (major teams being on the risk of missing the knockouts) is not a big deal, honestly. If this team plays to its best, then no team is stopping us. In Buchi Babu (All-India tournament), Mumbai played their best squad. And Tamil Nadu convincingly beat Mumbai. So, I think the opponent doesn’t matter. The opponent is just ourselves. If we can conquer our own fears, insecurities, and negativities in our mindset, there is no team to stop us.”

Pace spearhead Sandeep Warrier will miss Thursday’s match with a hamstring injury. C.V. Achyuth is set to replace him in the playing XI.

For Jharkhand, all its time and effort are to be directed towards the singular need of the hour – a win. It’s mathematically still in the hunt for qualification, needing other results to go its way.