After two rounds, former champions Tamil Nadu and Delhi are struggling to get into contention for a place in the knockout phase from Group B of this year’s Ranji Trophy championship.
When these teams face-off at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, Tamil Nadu will have to not only deal with an equally desperate opposition but also the chilly winds sweeping the Capital. Though this season, winter is not as severe as it was expected to be in the last week of the year, it could still be too cold to handle for the visiting side.
As things stand, Tamil Nadu (3 points) and Delhi (1) will have to look for an outright victory to stay alive beyond the league stage. Adopting defensive tactics after gaining the first innings lead will not help the teams’ cause. In the eight-team group, Tamil Nadu is placed sixth and Delhi, eighth. In comparison, Mumbai leads with 13 points.
If these reputed teams, without those who are perpetually on national duty, are finding themselves in this state, it is only because they failed to seize the big moments in their two previous outings. So far, the inability to polish off the tail has clearly hurt these teams.
For the record, Tamil Nadu gained a handy first innings lead over Hyderabad but allowed the last three second innings wickets to add 50 runs. As a result, the team ran out of time to chase down the target.
In the second outing, the dramatic batting collapse - seven wickets for 39 runs - saw TN slip from a potential winner to a loser by eight runs against Andhra.
Tamil Nadu opener Sai Sudharsan will be looking for a hat-trick of centuries having smashed 179 and 113 in his last two matches. | Photo Credit: VV Subrahmanyam
Delhi was eyeing first innings lead after reducing Maharashtra to 94 for seven but thereafter watched helplessly as centurions Azim Kazi and Ashay Palkar helped the home team reach 324 before suffering a nine-wicket drubbing.
A few days later, Assam’s ninth-wicket stand raised 65 runs to chase down Delhi’s 439 for the first innings lead.
Notwithstanding the low confidence of the bowling units of these teams, the one that uses the condition better could get 20 wickets here. Without question, the conditions favour the pace bowlers and the first session of each day shall remain the best for them to strike. The batters’ ability, or the lack of it, to play seam and swing in these conditions could be a crucial factor.
Tamil Nadu opener Sai Sudharsan will be looking for a hat-trick of centuries having smashed 179 and 113 in the two matches. Baba Aparajith and N. Jagadeesan, too, have a century to show. In these conditions, left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore (14 wickets) could prove less effective than the pace duo of Sandeep Warrier (10 wickets) and L. Vignesh (8 wickets).
Delhi’s opener and former skipper Dhruv Shorey is riding on unbeaten scores of 252 and 150 against Assam and fellow opener Anuj Rawat played his part with a second innings’ 109. But then, the conditions here are a lot different to the ones these openers faced last week.
Ishant Sharma played just a match for a lone wicket but Simerjeet Singh (5 wickets) in two matches and Harshit Rana (4) have proved better so far.
Overall, on cards is a battle of equals with conditions suited to the home team.
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