With only pride at stake, Tamil Nadu look to end their Ranji Trophy season on a positive note with their final two matches against Assam and Saurashtra in the next two weeks.
The team gets a new captain in R. Sai Kishore when they compete in Tuesday’s MA.Chidambaram Stadium vs. Assam.
With just eight points from five games, Tamil Nadu find solace in playing in a familiar environment at home as they seek their first win of the season.
Despite the change of captain, the team has not changed in the last two games. However, with M. Shahrukh Khan and pacesetter H. Trilok Nag likely to return after missing the final round against Maharashtra, there could be some changes to the squad.
The pitch is typically dry with good spinner support He is expected to be a Chepork wicket and Tamil Nadu may leave his two lefts of Sai and he S. Ajitlam with his spinners . Before debuting as a skipper, Sai Kishore said: Relations within the group are good and there is no egos between players. It’s exciting to lead a home team and I want to take the team forward.”
Meanwhile, Assam comes on after an innings loss to Mumbai. Only he has 11 points and the team is mathematically still in the race, but the odds are slim.
Assam took the lead against Delhi in the first innings before beating Hyderabad, but since then have managed to pick up only one point in their final two games. Rishav Das and skipper Gokul Sharma led the team’s batting unit, while all-rounder Riyan Parag excelled with both bat and ball. Palag, 21, is his third highest run-scorer on his side and also tops his charts for wickets with 19 scalps.
It’s been a promising season for Assam in domestic cricket as they have reached the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the team are pleased to find the form they showed at the start of the tournament.