CHENNAI: After three practice matches and preparation, a fully-confident Tamil Nadu will take on Punjab in the first match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at Indore on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu fresh from their Syed Mushtaq Ali title triumph will be looking forward to carry the momentum in the 50 overs tournament where they are placed in Elite Group 'B'.
"The team is almost the same as the one that won the T20 event. So we are looking forward to carry the momentum. All the boys are eager to do well and hopefully, we will have a good start, which is very important,'' said the chief coach of Tamil Nadu D Vasu.
Tamil Nadu remained undefeated in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and replicating it in the 50-over format will be a challenging task for the team. "The plan is simple, I have told the boys that each and everyone is in contention for a place in the playing XI. We have told the players that the wicket and opponent team's combination will decide our team composition. I have also told them that no one can take their place for granted in the team. Perform or perish is the mantra we adopted in the T20 tourney and it will be the same here too,'' informed the former NCA coach.
Sometimes players find it difficult to adjust from T20 to 50 overs format. But Tamil Nadu got a chance to play some practice matches where the players worked on their skill sets and are confident of the job ahead.
"We have had three practice games and we have addressed all the problems relating to adapting from one format to another. We have told our batters that playing for a longer duration is vital and pacing the innings is important. Most of the players have experience playing across formats and we hope to begin
well taking one match at a time,'' said Vasu.
Punjab has a good bowling attack in Barindar Sran, Sandeep Sharma, Mayank Markande and Siddarth Kaul which could pose some questions to Tamil Nadu's strong batting line up.
"At this level, we cannot take any team lightly. We have good depth in our batting, so I am confident that our batsmen will do well,'' insisted the former Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
The last time around in the T20 tournament Tamil Nadu spinners played a big role in the title triumph. This time the venue and format are different and one has to wait and see how they perform.
"We have not decided on the team combination yet. We will take a call after we have a final look at the wicket. It is good that the boys are getting exposure to different conditions and wickets. We have trained our players mentally to adapt to different situations and conditions. Now it all boils down to performing
to potential and taking the team forward,'' signed off Vasu.