CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu have had a period of toil so far this season in the Ranji Trophy. With just four points from four games, they have struggled to gain any sort of momentum. After their most-recent setback against Andhra, they'll be hoping to recalibrate and find some form when they face Uttar Pradesh in the fifth round in Coimbatore, starting Sunday.
UP, meanwhile, will be entering the contest with a high dose of confidence as they had posted an innings victory over Nagaland last week.
TN had made four changes heading into their last tie against Andhra. Players like N Jagadeesan, B Sachin, left-arm spinner P Vidyuth and P Sarvana Kumar had featured then. They'll be playing the same team against UP. Despite the struggles, TN chief coach M Senthilnathan said the players are in good spirits and carrying high hopes of getting back on track.
"It was disappointing to lose to Andhra. The boys are keen to make amends and are eager to perform to potential when they tale on UP. We have good practice sessions and we have ensured the boys are in good spirits, focussed and have ensured they have worked on their core skill-sets for the UP game. Hope they come good."
It's a tall order but TN still have an outside chance to make it to the knockouts if they can win their remaining games and if other results work in their favour.
"This is (still out-side chance) exactly what I have told the boys. What has happened is over, we cannot change it, so focus on the remaining games and play with positive intent is the message that we have conveyed to the boys. We have told them that they need to fight and go on with a positive approach without cribbing about the previous games. We have conveyed to them to have a positive mind set and have self-belief that from now on they can beat any team," said Senthilnathan.
One of the reasons behind TN's current predicament is their top-three batters have struggled to deliver on a consistent basis. That has meant the team has failed to post big scores on the board. The coach said the team will back the options they have.
"The selectors have given us three to four options for the top order and we will stick to it. At this stage of the tournament, we cannot experiment. Playing the new ball is a different art by itself and all cannot do it. So, we will stick to the same top-six batters and expect them to fire this time around," said Senthilnathan.
The experienced Jagadeesan's lack of form has also hurt the team. Senthilnathan is hopeful that he can find his mojo soon. "Jaggs (Jagadeesan) is a class player and a senior member of the side. It is just a matter of time until he gets a big score. He is working on his game and we have also had a chat with him in order to ensure that he plays to his true potential."
While the TN top-order batters have been subdued so far, UP batters have thrived this season and they also possess a good bowling attack that can trouble the best in the business. Abhishek Goswami, Madhav Kaushik, Aryan Juyal, Karn Sharma have been scoring for fun. In the bowling department, medium pacers Aaqib Khan and Kunal Tyagi have been among wickets. Moreover, they have bowling all-rounder Shivam Mavi, who scored a ton and bagged a five-for in their tie against Nagaland. It's why they haven't lost a single game and occupy fourth spot in Group A.
"We are aware of UP's strength. We have briefed our boys the strength and weakness of each and every player of UP. A thorough analysis has been done. So it is now up to the boys to go and express themselves," signed off Senthilnathan.
