CHENNAI: The country’s capital is facing a severe cold wave the morning temperature on Monday was five degree Celsius so much so that the government schools will remain closed in Delhi from January 1 to January 15. The morning temperature on Tuesday is expected to be no different. And yet, as Tamil Nadu and Delhi teams get ready for their Ranji Trophy clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, they will be feeling the heat.
For starters, Delhi are coming into the match after having lost to Maharashtra and conceding a first-innings lead to Assam. What more, it seems like they are plagued with injuries, with Simarjeet Singh, too, has been ruled out due to a heel injury and left-hand batter Nitesh Rana has been dropped owing to his poor form. And one has to wait and see how they shape up in their first home game.
On the other hand, Tamil Nadu managed first innings lead against Hyderabad before facing an agonising defeat at home versus Andhra. However, head coach M Venkataramana is not worried too much about the mood in the dressing room. “Winning and losing will come and go. We are happy that it has happened in the early part of the tournament,” the former India spinner told this daily.
While Tamil Nadu brought in left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram for the match against Andhra in place of Aswin Crist, considering the conditions and climate in the national capital, it is likely that they might go back to playing three front-line seamers. Although he bowled only nine overs in Coimbatore, that Tamil Nadu have an additional option in Vijay Shankar should come in handy. “If required, definitely we will use him. He will play a big role,” said Venkataramana.
As for taking on a team that is under the pump, TN are keen on focussing on their strengths rather than looking at what Delhi have done. “They are always a good side. They know the conditions better. All we believe is we have the potential and talent. This is the best place where we can show our potential against a strong side,” he added.
Through the season and in the first two matches, the openers, especially Sai Sudharsan, have given a good start to them. While the team management is confident of them continuing the good work, they are not worried too much about putting a big total upfront. “We will look to get used to the conditions, keep wickets in hand, do all the basics right,” signed off the head coach.
Select matches
Group A: At Cuttack: Odisha vs Haryana; Group B: At Vizianagaram: Andhra vs Maharashtra; At Hyderabad: Hyderabad vs Assam; At Delhi: Delhi vs Tamil Nadu; Group C: At Porvorim: Goa vs Karnataka; At Puducherry: Puducherry vs Rajasthan; At Thumba: Kerala vs Chhattisgarh.