Tamil Nadu, buoyed by its impressive start to the Ranji Trophy campaign, will face Chhattisgarh in a crucial third-round match (Elite Group D) at the Sri Ramakrishna College Ground on Saturday.
After crushing Saurashtra by an innings in the season opener, TN came within two wickets of another innings victory against Delhi. Only fading light and some questionable time-wasting tactics by the Delhi lower-order prevented N. Jagadeesan’s men from securing seven points.
The southern side has established Coimbatore as its fortress, winning its last four encounters at this venue by an innings. It will aim to extend this successful run against Chhattisgarh.
However, the home team will face some forced changes due to the departure of Washington Sundar (India), B. Sai Sudharsan, and B. Indrajith (both India-A) for national duties. The management must find an opening partner for skipper Jagadeesan, while all-rounder Vijay Shankar and M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar could slot into the middle-order.
With the pitch expected to favor spinners, TN may consider resting one of its pacers and playing 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.
Chhattisgarh, on the other hand, will be eager to earn some points after managing just two so far. The Amandeep Khare-led side has the depth in its lineup to challenge the hosts. Most of the batters have runs under their belt, and the outfit boasts 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.
