Last season’s Ranji Trophy was in the knockout phase when Tamil Nadu set their sights on preparation for the 2023/24. After another disappointing season where they failed to make the knockouts, they had roped in Sulakshan Kularni as head coach to revive their red-ball fortunes. Towards the end of May, even as the rest of the domestic cricketers were either in their off-season or still playing in the IPL, the Tamil Nadu team was having a preparatory camp in Coimbatore.
As they return to the city that sits on the lap of the Western ghats, the next two weeks provide them a chance to show the progress they have made, if any. After a shocking group stage exit in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, followed by a semi-final finish in the Vijay Hazare, Tamil Nadu’s hopes aren’t high in terms of Ranji Trophy, which they last won in 1987/88 season. Making it past the group stages will definitely be a step in the right direction, but before that they still have a lot to do.
After two rounds, Tamil Nadu are sitting seventh in Group C, with only Punjab behind them. With one just one point from two outings, the next two matches against Railways and Chandigarh at Coimbatore have now become must-win fixtures. “These two games will ultimately decide our fate and it is our collective responsibility to make them count,” TN captain R Sai Kishore told The Indian Express. “We need to take responsibility for the situation, which is what we have been talking about. We are due a good performance, which will get us the momentum from where we can build on. But before that we need to own the moments,” the left-arm spinner added.
That last bit that Kishore mentions has been their troublesome area in red-ball cricket. In white-ball tournaments the team’s biggest strength has been how well the players have been able to read the game and how they have managed to own the pressure moments. But in Ranji, they haven’t been able to do it consistently and have a history of handing back the momentum to the opposition despite being on top.
In the opening game against Gujarat, despite M Mohammad playing a heroic knock that gave them the first innings lead, they let the game drift away and ended up losing the match. And once Gujarat got away from TN’s grasp, they never looked back. “The beauty of Ranji Trophy is it opens up moments, where you need one to play a big knock or strike a couple of wickets immediately or play a counter-attacking innings. With the experience and skills we have, we need to identify them and make those openings count. I too made few tactical mistakes, which allowed them back and our batting didn’t come together and that made a difference,” Kishore said.
For a side that is already struggling in terms of getting runs on board, they will be without B Sai Sudharsan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul for the game against Railways on Friday.
Even Washington Sundar, who was initially named in the squad, has been pulled out on the advice of the Indian team management, which means the young trio of Vimal Khumar, B Sachin and Boopathi Kumar – all playing their maiden Ranji season – will keep their places.
“They are just coming in and we need to give them the breathing space and their job will become easy if we seniors take up the responsibility. We have performed individually, but this is the time we need to click together as a unit. We need to put our bodies on the line and do whatever it takes to get us going,” Kishore said.
Unlike Chennai, the pitch in Coimbatore is known for its good bounce and thanks to the overhead conditions, the seamers have always found movement over here.
Having opted not to play on rank turners, despite playing at home, there is a bit of uncertainty as to what to expect from the pitch here. “We have to take the condition out of the equation. Irrespective of how it behaves, we need to put in a commanding performance and that is the how we are looking at it. If we have to go beyond, we need to face all sorts of conditions and challenges and come out on top,” Kishore added.
Key matches
Time to play like champs
Vidarbha vs Saurashtra, Nagpur
The hosts are sitting on top of the table with two consecutive wins, while the defending champions are fourth, having already lost one game. With Maharashtra and Haryana above them, this away outing is crucial for Saurashtra. If they lose this, they will slip further and will need to do plenty in their remaining fixtures.
Mumbai minus Iyer, Khan
Mumbai vs Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
Having won back-to-back matches, Mumbai head to Thiruvananthapuram looking to make it a hat-trick of wins. With Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan not part of the fixture, it would be interesting to see how the giants respond in their absence. A turning track could make things interesting.
MP test for Delhi
Madhya Pradesh vs Delhi, Indore
Sitting at the bottom of Group D, Delhi face Madhya Pradesh at Indore. With the conditions in Indore mostly favouring the seamers, it would be a stern test for the Delhi team that is short on confidence.
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Punjab hope for clear skies
Punjab vs Tripura, Mohali
Having lost one and drawn one, Punjab’s home game against Tripura is crucial for them to get back on track. However, with the light continuing to be an issue in the northern belt, it would be interesting to see if Punjab get enough time to force a result at Mohali.
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