Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka Ranji Trophy encounter: Bat vs ball and a little more than that

In the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, Tamil Nadu won just one of 14 matches and failed to qualify for the knockouts.
Tamil Nadu cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin (Photo | PTI)
Tamil Nadu cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin (Photo | PTI)

DINDIGUL: The Ranji Trophy season could not have had a better opener, with heavyweights Tamil Nadu and Karnataka taking on each other in a first-round encounter. These teams were in the finals of the two limited-over tournaments held so far and Karnataka emerged winners on both occasions. The four-day game beginning on Monday will be a continuation of the rivalry as well as a new game.

After a long time, Tamil Nadu are heading into the Ranji season with a full-strength squad. Injuries to pace mainstays, unavailability of big names due to national commitments and constant changes in strategies and combinations due to those reasons was a major issue they had to contend with in the recent past. But this time, Vijay Shankar’s side will not have such complaints, with senior players available for a major part of the tournament.

But then, Tamil Nadu are not known to be as consistent as Karnataka. So after encouraging outings in the 50 and 20-over formats, they have to up their game with the red ball. Under new coach D Vasu and a new captain for this format, the team has better clarity over roles.

Unlike last season or the one before, Tamil Nadu are pretty much settled. Skipper Vijay acknowledges that having experienced players such as Murali Vijay, R Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik will play a role in turning things around.

“In the last two tournaments (Vijay Hazare and Mushtaq Ali), we had many seniors playing most of the games. Most important was the way everyone took responsibility and tried to play according to the situation. That gave us success,” remarked Vijay on Sunday.

“I don’t remember the last time when so many seniors played together in Ranji Trophy. Under Vasu sir, players are clear about what is expected of them.”

On the other hand, Karun Nair & Co are a somewhat depleted lot, following injuries to pacers Abhimanyu Mithun, M Prasidh Krishna and top-order batsman KV Siddharth, who was Karnataka’s top scorer last season with 728 runs. While Mayank Agarwal, Dega Nischal and Devdutt Padikkal are expected to carry the batting, the middle-order featuring Nair, Pavan Deshpande and wicketkeeper BR Sharath needs to buckle up.

“Our dressing room atmosphere is always good,” said Nair.”It’s even better now with the two titles. We have a positive set of guys and everyone is looking to improve daily. We will miss Mithun and Prasidh but we cannot control it. This is an opportunity for others.”

Tamil Nadu have been slow starters. In the last two seasons, they won just one of 14 matches and failed to qualify for the knockouts. On the contrary, Karnataka reached the semifinal in the last two seasons.

“It (game against Karnataka) has always been a high intensity match,” said Vijay. “It is bat versus ball and more than that. It’s good when you play against top teams and perform. If you win, confidence will be high heading into the tournament. Only when you keep winning, will you be noticed.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com