Going all in: Stand-in skipper Jagadeesan and coach Balaji will hope up-and-comers plug the gaps left by the unavailability of seniors. | Photo: Vijay Soneji
Only two points separate second-placed Railways (14) and third-ranked Tamil Nadu (12) in the Elite Group-D standings as both teams get ready to face off in a high-stakes fifth-round Ranji Trophy fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium here from Wednesday.
The tourist will be without its regular captain R. Sai Kishore, sidelined with a thumb injury. However, stand-in skipper N. Jagadeesan said he backed the up-and-comers in his side to plug the gaps left by the unavailability of their seniors. “Everybody is motivated. The youngsters over here are pumped up and they want to do well in this platform,” Jagadeesan told The Hindu on Tuesday.
Railways is playing some really good cricket this season and it will hope that the experienced squad will mitigate the ill-effects of not being able to play its home matches at one ground. It had hosted Jharkhand at the ADSA Railways Ground in its first home game.
“Of course, it is very challenging for us. We take even a home game as an away game. So that is the mental preparation,” Railways captain Pratham Singh said. “We have the same set of players playing for a few years and this season, I see that every individual is stepping up,” Pratham added.
Both teams have been unbeaten so far but will want nothing less than a win here. While TN will be desperate to get a favourable result after its three-straight draws, the host will be keen on getting back to winning ways after stumbling to a draw against Chhattisgarh.
The Ranji matches will take a back-seat after this round and the victor here will have the added advantage of gaining some breathing space in the tightly contested group – currently led by Chandigarh with 19 points — when the domestic red-ball season resumes in late January.
Published – November 12, 2024 11:21 pm IST
