CHENNAI: Debutant Jatin Kumar Pandey (5/35) and Sahil Raj (4/21) took nine wickets among themselves to help Jharkhand bag a mammoth lead of 326 runs over Tamil Nadu on the third day of the Ranji Trophy match played at Coimbatore on Friday. Following on, the hosts were 52/3 in 27 overs at stumps. They still need to make 274 runs to make Jharkhand bat again. RS Ambrish, N Jagadeesan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul fell early with C Andre Siddarth and J Hemchudeshan at the crease when stumps were drawn after a rain-affected day.
Hemchudeshan insists that Tamil Nadu will put up a good fight on the final day in their second essay. "The wicket looks good, we will put up a good fight on Saturday. We are aware that we fared poorly in the first essay due to poor shot selection. We are keen not to repeat the same mistake and are eager to put up a better display this time around," insisted Hemchudeshan.
Meanwhile, Sunny Gupta, head coach of Jharkhand, is a happy man. "Happy that the team performed as a unit. A lot of hard work has gone into this effort. Many boys are playing their first match and a good show against a strong team like Tamil Nadu is a creditable show," said Gupta. "All the fast bowlers bowled well, in particular Jatin and Sahil. The instructions were to just make the batters play. They (TN batters) should not leave that many balls. That was the main thing. I told them you have to bowl that correct length in order to induce them to make mistakes. Whatever the plan was, they executed nicely," he added.
Gupta revealed why he picked Jatin in the playing XI. "He (Jatin) is a good prospect. He is an all-wicket bowler who can adapt to conditions. He is someone who has good height, runs hard, and has good seam position. He can swing the ball on both sides. The best part is his attitude. He has a very attacking mindset, wanting to do well, wanting to bowl long spells. So, all these things we have noticed. We worked a little bit on his game and he has come good," explained Gupta.
Apart from taking four wickets, Sahil Raj also made 77 runs in Jharkhand's first essay, emerging as a fast-bowling all-rounder. "It is important to have a bowling all-rounder. Having a good all-rounder in your side helps you balance your side with extra batters or extra spinners. He gives you that cushion. So, it is always a privilege to have an all-rounder like him," insisted Gupta.
Jharkhand need seven more wickets for an outright win against Tamil Nadu in overcast conditions. "We will go for an outright win. The weather forecast tomorrow is showing that there is no rain in the morning. We will attack from the get go on Saturday morning," Gupta signed off.
