CHENNAI: As Ranji Trophy resumes, Tamil Nadu will take on Odisha in their Group A match starting at Cuttack from Thursday without some of their star players. R Sai Kishore will continue to lead the side, while N Jagadeesan has been named as his deputy. The team is without the services of ace India batter B Sai Sudharsan, who is out of action due to injury and B Indrajith, who is not playing due to personal reasons.
With Tamil Nadu out of the knockout race, the selectors have name several youngsters in the squad. Youngsters M Vishal, Nidhish S Rajagopal and G Govinth are the new names in the squad with Nidhish likely to make his debut. The team also sees the return of S Mohamed Ali, left-arm spinner P Vidyuth, offie J Hemchudeshan and Gurjapneet Singh, who did not feature in the previous match against Uttar Pradesh. B Sachin, P Saravana Kumar, Sandeep Warrier, R Vimal Khumar and CV Achyuth have been left out for the game. Gurjapneet and Vidyut, who can also bat a bit, will be part of the playing XI. "Yes, the Ranji Trophy is back after a break. We have prepared well for the Odisha game and the boys are eager to perform and give their best," M Senthilnathan, Tamil Nadu chief coach, told this daily.
Senthilnathan said change of formats (from Vijay Hazare Trophy to Ranji) and absence of key players will not affect the team. "All the players are professionals, they know how to adapt. At home itself they play the TNCA league and then VAP Trophy (limited overs tournament) and then the league once again, so they know how to prepare as they are aware of the schedule well in advance,'' said Senthilnathan. ''As far as the youngsters are concerned, it is a good opportunity for them to make an impression. Lets not forget that Sai Sudharsan too started as a youngster and went up the ladder. So see this game as a good opportunity for the youngsters to grab and prove their worth,'' added the former Tamil Nadu top-order batter.
With an inexperienced middle order in place, the likes of Jagadeesan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul need to hang around and rally with the youngsters. "Yes, it is imperative for the seniors Jagadeesan and Pradosh at the moment and C Andre Siddarth to make sure they perform well. Out of the three, two must get a hundred each and rally around with the youngsters to help the team put-up a good total. So they are aware of their roles and I am sure they will deliver," said an optimistic Senthilnathan.
Likewise in the bowling, Sai Kishore and Gurjapneet will have to do the chunk of the bowling. The spot for the second spinner will be between Hemchudeshan and Vidyuth. Vidyuth bowled well in the last few games he played and also showed glimpses of his batting potential. "You see, it's a team game. I am not putting pressure on them (Sai Kishore and Gurjapneet). So you know as a team the bowling attack must fire. They all have to bowl well. Whoever gets an opportunity to get a wicket must make best use of it. They should look at the team's performance rather than an individual. The second spinner is a toss between Hemchudeshan and Vidyuth. We will have a final look at the wicket and decide our attack," insisted Senthilnathan.
Odisha have seven points from five games with a win. On the other hand Tamil Nadu have five points from as many games with no wins to their credit. "You know, like they (Odisha) have improved. But I think if we play to our potential we should be able to beat them comfortably. See, to be honest, because we have not done well in the earlier matches, we should not doubt our abilities. We are a good and capable side, it all boils down to playing to our potential with self belief," signed off Senthilnathan.
