Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Depleted Tamil Nadu looks to turn fortunes around against buoyant Tripura

Going into matchday, Tripura will be the more confident of the two units. Its morale will be buoyed by Monday’s big win against Goa at home, thanks to a century by all-rounder Sridam Paul.

Skipper R. Sai Kishore was Tamil Nadu’s top scorer in the second innings against Gujarat, underlining his team’s woes with the bat. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/THE HINDU

That Tamil Nadu will be forced to make at least three forced changes to its playing eleven following a 111-run defeat to Gujarat in its Ranji Trophy campaign opener will have newly appointed skipper R. Sai Kishore feeling a gnawing concern in the pit of his stomach.

In its next Elite Group C match against Tripura, starting Friday at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Stadium in Agartala, TN will be without B. Sai Sudharsan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul, who have received India A call-ups for fixtures against England Lions, and all-rounder Washington Sundar, who is on national duty for the Afghanistan series.

Promising batters in Mohamed Ali, A. Badrinath and M. Boopathi Vaishnav Kumar, who have proved their mettle in BCCI’s age-group tournaments, are set to fill in the gaps.

Meanwhile, Ajay Krishna will be replacing an injured T. Natarajan in the squad even as Kuldeep Sen remains unavailable for selection citing personal reasons.

Sai Kishore’s worries, however, don’t translate into words when he tells Sportstar, “Ranji Trophy is a level wherein people aspire to play. If somebody isn’t there, then it is someone else’s opportunity. If they perform well, it will send the right message that performances in age-group categories are valued.”

Going into matchday, Tripura will be the more confident of the two units. Its morale will be buoyed by Monday’s big win against Goa at home, thanks to a century by all-rounder Sridam Paul.

“He is a very talented and dedicated cricketer. We can expect more such performances from him in the near future,” says captain Wriddhiman Saha, who scored 97 in the first innings against Goa.

Additionally, how Tripura stunned Mumbai and Saurashtra in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy isn’t going to fade away from public memory anytime soon.

The North-Eastern side seems to be hitting all the right chords, thus far. Only time will tell whether TN’s boys are men enough to face the music.