CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu secured their first victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) this season when they defeated Uttarakhand by five wickets on Sunday. In fact, this was their first win across formats — Ranji Trophy and SMAT — this term.
Before this, they had suffered two back-to-back losses in the T20 domestic competition. They had lost against Rajasthan in the opening match before going on to suffer a narrow defeat against Delhi. Himmat Singh had hit a last-ball six to add to TN's misery then. Hence, their victory over Uttarakhand was a welcome result. R Rajkumar scored an unbeaten 93 to help the team earn valuable points.
"Very pleased to win against Uttarakhand. A win had been eluding us for a while, so this win is very important,'' said Tushar Raheja, who along with Amit Sathvik, is the new opening pair for Tamil Nadu.
Tushar and Amit were the force behind Tiruppur Tamizhans' success during the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Tushar had racked up an impressive tally of 488 runs for Tiruppur then. The Tamil Nadu think-tank is hopeful that the duo can continue to deliver.
"We (himself and Amit) compliment each other. We have a good understanding and thus, we could forge a good stand against Delhi. In the TNPL too, we had many good partnerships. We know each others' game well," said Tushar.
The victory has lightened the mood in the TN camp. Now, they'll be hoping to keep up the winning habit when they face Karnataka in the next round.
"The mood is upbeat in the team. We are keen to do well in the remaining rounds. We have a good team. Sai Sudharsan has joined us. So if we play to our potential, we will get the desired results," said Tushar.
Tushar also sung praises for Rajkumar, who was unstoppable against Uttarakhand. "Rajkumar's effort was brilliant. He struck the ball brilliantly against Uttarakhand. We are keen to play an innings like that. T20 is all about playing an attacking innings when one gets the flow or is in the zone."
The bowling department also needs to bring their A-game in the upcoming matches. Tushar felt TN has enough firepower to hurt their rivals. "We have a lovely attack, Natarajan (T), Gurjapneet (Singh), Sai Kishore. The players are all fired up and are keen to do well in the remaining games. Plus, we have all-rounder Sonu Yadav, who can bat and bowl with equal ease."
The Ahmedabad wicket, where Tamil Nadu has been playing, is a tricky surface. But Tushar felt the players could adapt and find joy. "The wickets are different from the one we play at home. But so far, the wickets that we have played have something for the batters as well as the bowlers. So if we apply ourselves, we can get the desired results."