The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : TN needs a win, bonus point too

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

TN needs a win, bonus point too

Sports Reporter

Chennai: Tamil Nadu will look for maximum points from its seventh and final league encounter against Delhi to have an outside chance of qualifying for the semifinals of the Elite group of the Ranji Trophy.

The four-day match beginning on Tuesday at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here assumes significance because the home side, with nine points from six games, is tied for the third place with Bengal in Group `A' and needs an outright win (4 points) and the bonus point to make good a mathematical possibility.

While group leader Mumbai should go through, Tamil Nadu's fate is also incumbent on the result of the game between the front-runner for the second spot, Karnataka (12 points from six games), and Gujarat.

"For us, getting maximum points will be in the corner of the mind," said Tamil Nadu's coach Bharat Arun. "But we can't go into a match thinking of that. We must stay focussed on each day."

Delhi, meanwhile, is in a battle to prevent relegation. In its sixth-round match against Karnataka, the batting collapsed against the spin of Sunil Joshi and Anil Kumble — something Tamil Nadu will look to exploit on a track that is expected to turn.

Left-arm spinner R. Ramkumar will partner veteran off-spinner Aashish Kapoor said captain S. Badrinath, who will look to bat first. Opening bowler R. Jesuraj struck rhythm against Bengal, scalping eleven and bowling his side to victory.

Flexibility

Arun said the batting order could "change as the match progresses. Anyone can bat anywhere, so that gives us good flexibility." The home side will expect the experienced Hemang Badani (391 runs from six games this season at 55.85) to set the tone. Skipper Badrinath has also been in good form, averaging 49.71.

Tamil Nadu has had a disappointing season with just one win, though Arun believes the team is "better than what the results portray". Badrinath said, "We have had two bad games, and have been a little unlucky with rain."

Delhi's top order has been in wretched form, with Aakash Chopra, Mithun Manhas and Shikhar Dhawan averaging just over thirty; Mayank Tehlan has scored the lone century for Delhi this season.

"We are in the process of building the side," said Delhi coach Madan Lal. "Our experienced players must take responsibility and pull us out of the woods."

The teams (from): Tamil Nadu: S. Badrinath (capt.), S. Sriram, Hemang Badani, Dinesh Kaarthick (wk), S. Sharath, K. Shri Vasudeva Das, Aashish Kapoor, R. Ramkumar, R. Jesuraj, Vidyuth Sivaramakrishnan, G. Vignesh, R. Satish, Aniruddha Srikkanth, M.R. Shrinivas.

Delhi: Amit Bhandari (capt.), Aakash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Varun Kumar (wk), Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia, Pradeep Chawla, Chetan Nanda, Kunal Lal, Mayank Tehlan, Yogendra Sachdeva, M. Deewan, Rajan Gupta.

Umpires: T.S. Godbole and T.K. Handu

Match referee: J.C. Umrigar

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 12 p.m., 12.40 p.m. to 2.40 p.m. and 3 p.m. till close of play.

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