Gearing up: TN tweakers Ajith Ram and Lakshay will have a lot of bowling to do.
| Photo Credit: M. PERIASAMY
A confident Tamil Nadu will look to continue its fine start to the Ranji Trophy campaign when it takes on Chhattisgarh in the third-round match (Elite Group D) at the Sri Ramakrishna College Ground on Saturday.
After smashing Saurashtra by an innings in the season-opener here a fortnight ago, TN came within two wickets off another innings victory. Only bad light and some comical time-wasting tactics by the Delhi lower-order stopped N. Jagadeesan’s men from taking seven points.
The southern side has made Coimbatore its fortress, winning its last four encounters at this venue by an innings, and would hope to extend the successful run.
Forced changes
The home team, though, will have a few forced changes following the departure of Washington Sundar (India), B. Sai Sudharsan, and B. Indrajith (both India-A) for national duties.
The management has to figure out an opening partner for skipper Jagadeesan, while all-rounder Vijay Shankar and M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar could slot in the middle-order. With the pitch expected to aid the spinners, TN might be tempted to rest one of its pacers and play an extra tweaker.
“We are extremely proud of the brand of cricket we played. Even in the last match, we bowled nearly 190 overs over two days and maintaining the same energy was a task, but everyone did it,” said Jagadeesan.
Depth
Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, will want to get some points on board, having managed just two so far. The Amandeep Khare-led side has the depth in its line-up to give the host a run for its money.
Most of the batters have runs under their belt, and the outfit has a decent spin attack led by Ajay Mandal. In the previous game against Saurashtra, Khare slammed a brilliant double-century while Sanjeet Desai scored a ton. However, the in-form TN bowlers in their backyard will pose a sterner test, and how the visitor’s batters tackle them could determine the course of the contest.
Published – October 25, 2024 06:20 pm IST
