CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu after their convincing nine-wicket win over Punjab are gearing up to take on Saurashtra in the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy to be played at Coimbatore from Friday. After several disappointing seasons, Tamil Nadu finally reached the knock-out stage of the Ranji Trophy topping the group with four wins from seven outings.
One of the key players who helped Tamil Nadu reach the last-eight stage is its spinner S Ajith Ram, who has picked up 36 wickets so far in this tournament.
''It feels good, definitely very excited to play quarterfinals. We played as a team and have managed to reach the knock-outs. We are all in a good frame of mind,'' said Ajith Ram.
Ajith Ram has been the perfect foil for Sai Kishore. In the company of his senior counterpart and skipper, Ajith has blossomed as a bowler. ''As I said earlier the team environment is very good. I am happy to contribute to the team's cause. And when you know that your effort has also helped the team progress to the next stage, it gives you a lot of satisfaction and propels you to do more for the team,'' said Ajith Ram.
Saurashtra will look to Cheteshwar Pujara to come up with a big score as he is familiar with the Tamil Nadu attack having played in the TNCA First Division league in Chennai in the recent past.
''Definitely, it's going to be a big challenge bowling against Pujara, so, I'm very excited to bowl to him. I relish facing challenges and I am aware that if I do well, it will help me progress as a bowler and I will be able to come out rich from the experience. I think it is going to be a good learning experience,'' said Ajith Ram.
Pujara is always tentative at the beginning, and once he gets into his 30s, he plays a big innings. Are there any special plans for him
''Any batter who settles down, will get to score some big runs. We will definitely try to bowl in the right areas and try to unsettle batters early on. It will be no different to Pujara. Having said that it is a team game and all our bowlers will bowl in tandem and try to restrict Saurashtra as a team and not just focus on one batter,'' he explained.
Sai Kishore has been leading by example and the team seems to be settling down as a unit with all the players aware of their respective roles. ''Definitely, he (Sai Kishore) is doing a great job and he's been an inspiration to everyone. The way he handles the players, talks at team meetings and when we are in a tricky situation, he has been a big motivating force,'' Ajith Ram said.
TN batters have been able to up the tempo and contribute when it mattered the most. Against Punjab, B Indrajith and Vijay Shankar came good. In an earlier game in the league round, Pradosh Ranjan Paul gave a good account of himself.
''As I said earlier, our team is playing as a unit, Our batters too are performing as a unit and complimenting each other. At Chennai against Karnataka, we almost won the game. We were all proud of our chase. Against Saurashtra too we will give our best,'' signed off Ajith Ram.