Ranji Trophy: Up-hill task ahead of Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Having managed just 1 point from three matches this Ranji season - time is fast running out for Tamil Nadu. Ahead of their round 4 clash against Uttar Pradesh starting from Friday at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, TN are aware that nothing less than outright wins will keep them in the hunt for a berth in the next stage of the tournament.
"It's a do-or-die situation for us. We will have to be at our best in order to beat a side like Uttar Pradesh," coach D Vasu told TOI on the eve of the clash.
The task will be nothing but easy as TN continues to miss the services of their star players. Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Washington Sundar and M Shahrukh Khan are yet to recover from injuries, while R Ashwin and Abhinav Mukund too aren't part of the side. BCCI wants Ashwin to rest before the New Zealand tour, while Abhinav misses out due to personal reasons.
However, the side received a boost in the form of Vijay Shankar who was declared fit before the game. Vijay Shankar - who missed the last two games due to viral fever and a niggle on his right hand - will not only add meat to TN's middle-order but also give the side an extra bowling option. "We have missed key players this season, and we have to be a little patient with the young players who have replaced them. But with Vijay Shankar back in the side, we are hoping to deliver a stronger show," said Vasu. The team will depend on the in-form Kaushik Gandhi - who scored a fighting 154 in the last game against Madhya Pradesh - and Baba Aparajith to do the bulk of scoring. Wicketkeeper batsman N Jagadeesan too showed signs of getting back to form with a gritty 54 in the second innings against MP. As far as the bowling goes - left-arm pacer T Natarajan, medium-pacer K Vignesh and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore - will be the go-to men.
Shankar, who will be leading the side, voiced confidence of TN turning things around. "We showed a lot of character in the second innings against Madhya Pradesh when we were fighting to save the game. We will derive a lot of confidence from that game," he said.
The hosts, on the other side, enter into the clash after registering an innings and 72-run win over Saurashtra. They have 9 points from 3 matches. Opener Almas Shaukat (261 runs from 3 games) and middle-order bat Mohd Saif (257 in 3 outings) have scored the bulk of the runs. As far as their bowling goes, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar remains the side's leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets from 3 matches which includes 2 five-wicket hauls.
Lokeshwar released: Wicketkeeper S Lokeshwar has been released from the TN line-up to be part of U-23 Col CK Nayudu squad. R Kavin replaces Lokeshwar in the side.