CHENNAI: It has been more than 15 years since Tamil Nadu won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. After being perennial underachievers, they came close to getting their hands on the T20 title last season, but ended up as runner-up.
Given the way the Dinesh Karthik-led side has performed so far this edition - they are unbeaten - Tamil Nadu would aim to go one step further this time and win the trophy. Their first test will be on Tuesday when they face Himachal Pradesh in the quarterfinal.
Qualifying as the top side from the Elite Group B, Tamil Nadu has hardly set a wrong foot this edition. Despite missing some big names in Murali Vijay, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar (injured after the first game), the team has put in a collective effort to win five out of five games.
Addition of two players in Sandeep Warrier - who moved from Kerala - and an experienced KB Arun Karthick - who returned to TN after stints at Assam, Kerala and Puducherry - have only added more depth to the side.
Adaptability has been a key factor in their success story so far. Unlike many teams that stick to set XI and not tweak much when the team is winning, coach D Vasu's wards tried different combinations according to their opponents in Kolkata. And it did work for them. They did not shy away from dropping an experienced pacer in Aswin Crist to bring in a young player like R Sonu Yadav.
The move to open the bowling with a part-time off-spinner in Baba Aparajith has also proved vital as he has given some crucial breakthroughs. With a well-rounded bowling attack, Tamil Nadu has been able to restrict teams for average scores and successfully chase it down - the highest the team conceded in five matches was 163/8 against Bengal. While spinners have taken 18 wickets, pacers have scalped 17.
With regards to batting, it has largely been taken care by opener N Jagadeesan, who is also the leading run-getter of the tournament with 315 runs with four consecutive fifties. Unlike last season, the 25-year-old seems more to be in control and switches gears at will.
Skipper Karthik has also played vital, quickfire runs, ensuring that the team doesn’t falter after losing early wickets. Opener C Hari Nishaanth and Arun Karthick have also chipped in. Himachal come into the contest having won four of their five games. Bowling has been their strength, with their bowlers accounting for 39 of the possible 50 wickets. Tamil Nadu would be banking on the likes of Jagadeesan to overcome this challenge.
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