Woollen skull caps, cotton earplugs and full-sleeved jumpers came in handy for Tamil Nadu’s players during their last Ranji Trophy outing against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
That was in December 2022, when the national capital was in the midst of a cold wave with the minimum temperature dipping to 5.6 degrees Celsius. They are here again, but the weather should be much more to their liking this time with the winter season a few weeks away from kicking in.
Whatever the climate, it is Tamil Nadu that has the ascendancy going into the second-round fixture against Delhi starting on Friday. In each of the previous three meetings between these teams — all drawn — it has come away with the first-innings lead.
It also carries the confidence of thumping Saurashtra by an innings and 70 runs in its first game of the season in Coimbatore.
The unavailability of regular skipper and frontline left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore due to his selection in India-A’s squad for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Muscat might be a setback.
But it should be offset by Washington Sundar’s return. The off-spinning all-rounder had missed the opening game due to his involvement in India’s T20I series against Bangladesh. N. Jagadeesan will lead the side in Sai Kishore’s absence.
Washington Sundar during the Ranji Trophy Semifinals between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu held at BKC MCA Ground in Mumbai last season. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini/The Hindu
Delhi, which took the first-innings lead in its drawn opening clash against Chhattisgarh in Raipur, has a few absentees too. Ayush Badoni, Anuj Rawat and Hrithik Shokeen are also part of the India-A team in Muscat. Pacer Simarjeet Singh is understood to be nursing an injury.
“It is a very important match for us because if you want to qualify, you need wins against the other top teams in your pool,” Delhi skipper Himmat Singh said after the training session on Thursday. “We will look to win this game at home.”
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