Ranji Trophy | Jagadeesan all set to feature for Tamil Nadu in the Jharkhand fixture

Tamil Nadu avoided a last-minute change to its team combination and received a big boost ahead of its Ranji Trophy opener versus Jharkhand, set to begin at the SNR College cricket ground here on Wednesday.

Its stand-in skipper, N. Jagadeesan, who was with the India squad for the second Test against West Indies that concluded on Tuesday, was confirmed to play the match.

Speaking after the team practice on the eve of the match, Tamil Nadu head coach M. Senthilnathan said that the squad “probably had one of the best preparatory camps.”

Tamil Nadu trained in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur. The training has included “centre-wicket match simulations with specific targets for batters and bowlers,” emphasising patience and strategy for four-day games. The team has practised on turning tracks and green tops to prepare for different conditions, including away games.

Shahrukh Khan
| Photo Credit:
M. PERIASAMY

Tamil Nadu’s struggle to adapt to seam-friendly wickets in away games has been its Achilles’ heel lately.

Speaking about how the team is well-equipped for that challenge this season, the coach said: “We have a pretty good pace attack now. The batters have to adjust to it (green tops). We have given enough practice. It’s just the adjustment, not anything else. The frame of mind has to change. It’s difficult since we don’t have any wickets in Chennai for those kinds of league matches (TNCA first division league). But we had a pretty solid preparation. So, we’re well-prepared for any kind of combat.”

Jharkhand, on the other hand, would take confidence from the fact that it beat TN to finish the last season on a high.

The win was fashioned by its spinners Utkarsh Singh (off-spin) and Manishi (left-arm spin), both of whom the side will look up to if the pitch offers turn.

The visitor also has another capable tweaker in all-rounder Anukul Roy. Skipper Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra will be its batting heavyweights.