Ranji Trophy | Desperate Tamil Nadu needs a win against a buoyant Andhra Today Sports News

As a battling Tamil Nadu takes on an upbeat Andhra in an Elite Group-A fixture in the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy at the ACA-VDCA Stadium from Saturday, it will be bolstered by the return from injury of its seasoned opener and wicket-keeper N. Jagadeesan, felt coach Senthilnathan and captain Sai Kishore on Friday.

Also referring to opener B. Sachin’s return from chickenpox, Senthilnathan said: “Jaggi (Jagadeesan) has come in, Sachin has come in. So, probably, this could give us a little bit of a boost for the batting.”

Jagadeesan and Sachin have replaced S.R. Athish and M. Shahrukh Khan, and left-arm spinner P. Vidyuth and pacer P. Saravana Kumar have replaced D.T. Chandrasekar and Lokesh Raj in the squad from the last match against Vidarbha.

Tamil Nadu lost by an innings to Jharkhand, managed to eke out a first-innings lead versus Nagaland, and escaped with a draw after conceding the first-innings advantage to Vidarbha.

Senthilnathan emphasised the need to play fearless and positive cricket. “We are in that kind of situation, where we have to fire. Sometimes when your cards are low, things could change – we can bat and bowl without any fear. We can definitely look at being positive, because that’s the only way left for us,” he said.

Andhra captain Ricky Bhui mentioned that the comprehensive win against Odisha in the last match has put his team “in a better space,” giving it “confidence and momentum.”

Andhra coach Gary Stead with captain Ricky Bhui.
| Photo Credit:
K.R. DEEPAK

Shaik Rasheed and Srikar Bharat have been among the runs, while spin-bowling all-rounder Saurabh Kumar came up with an all-round performance against Odisha.

But coach Gary Stead said that his team is wary of Tamil Nadu. “I think we’re treading in the right direction, which has been positive. Tamil Nadu will be another step up, though. I think they’ve got some very good players and maybe haven’t hit their straps yet,” he said.