Tamil Nadu’s N. Jagadeesan in action against Chandigarh in Ranji Trophy match held in Coimbatore.
| Photo Credit: M. Periasamy
Following its comprehensive innings victories in the last two matches against Railways and Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu finds itself on top of Elite Group C at the mid-point in the Ranji Trophy campaign after four games, tied on 15 points with Karnataka.
It is a good turnaround for the team after losing to Gujarat from a position of strength in the opening fixture and having only one point after the first two encounters.
In the two matches at home in Coimbatore, N. Jagadeesan came up with spellbinding knocks with a double and triple century against Railways (245 n.o.) and Chandigarh (321), respectively. With Pradosh Ranjan Paul and B. Indrajith also scoring tons in the last game, the TN batting lineup looks in good shape.
On the bowling front, pacer Sandeep Warrier has been the standout performer. Guest pacer Kuldeep Sen, who played for the first time this season against Chandigarh, looked in good rhythm. The team will hope the former MP player, alongside M. Mohammed, can support Warrier in the remaining fixtures.
Similarly, spinners skipper Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram showed their potential on helpful surfaces at home to script big wins.
However, in an evenly matched group where only the top two teams will qualify, Sai Kishore’s men can ill-afford any slip-up starting from its next game against Goa. Fortunately, the team will play two tough opponents – Karnataka and Punjab – at home in Chennai and Salem, respectively, which should give it an edge.
“We got much-needed momentum in these last two matches. I think confidence in cricket is important and allows you to express yourself. Going into the next half, how we show up in the difficult moments will define the campaign,” said skipper Sai Kishore.
If TN can continue the form it showed in the last two outings, it looks well-placed to qualify for the knockouts of the country’s premier domestic tournament for the first time since 2016-17.