Tamil Nadu
Pros: Tamil Nadu will once again bank on their batsmen, with skipper Abhinav Mukund (689 runs at 53) leading by example. They also have their top-scorer Kaushik Gandhi and the experienced Dinesh Karthik to rely on. But the bigger surprise of the season has been the performance of their rookie pacers Aswin Crist, K Vignesh and T Natarajan. The trio routed mighty Karnataka for paltry totals in the quarters.
Cons: They can self-destruct in crucial games. A wobbly middle order too has been a concern for them.
Key player: Kaushik Gandhi: After a slow start to the season, the patient No 3 batsman has hit three hundreds. Comes good in tough situations.
Tamil Nadu have managed to beat Mumbai only once in eight matches in the Ranji Trophy in the last ten years. They lost to Mumbai in their opening game this season.
Mumbai
Pros: The 41-time champions have looked vulnerable at times. Top-order batsmen haven’t been firing regularly and but for spirited performances from the likes of Siddhesh Lad, Abhishek Nayar, and Shardul Thakur, they wouldn’t have made the semis. Skipper Aditya Tare too has come up with timely knocks. Shreyas Iyer hasn’t been as consistent this year, and will look for a big knock.
Cons: Injuries have dealt a blow. Opener Akhil Herwadkar, pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma will miss out.
Key player: Siddhesh Lad: Mumbai’s ‘crisis man’ struck a vital hundred in the quarters and will look to continue in the same vein against Tamil Nadu.
On the wicket
It looks quite flat. I don’t think it will seam too much but I think it is a good batting track that will last five days. We will know tomorrow (Sunday) I guess.
Build-up to the game
We got here four days back and have been practising. I think everyone has forgotten about the quarterfinals. We are moving on to the semifinals.
On coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar
He brings a huge sense of calm. Great experience obviously. I will be pushing it too far if I say that he is one of the few sensible people in Indian cricket.
On TN’s bad record against Mumbai
History is what other players have played. This is a fresh start. Lot of people said the same thing about Karnataka... It’s a new ball, new wicket and new team.