CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu U-23 boys are all set to take on Delhi in the semifinal of the U-23 Col
CK Nayudu Trophy
to be held at the Airforce Complex Ground, Palam, New Delhi from Friday.
TN turned out to be lucky in the coin spin after their quarterfinal clash against Hyderabad in Dindigul last week was interrupted by rain on all five days (including the reserve day).
TN topped the Elite Group B table with 20 points (three wins and a draw) in four matches. The side led by allrounder
J Kousik received a big boost with two key TN Ranji Trophy players - wicket-keeper
N Jagadeesan
and pacer
K Vignesh
- joining the squad for the key clash.
Coach PC Prakash sounded upbeat ahead of the crucial contest. "The boys have been performing exceptionally well. We have been consistent. Two top players (Jagadeesan and Vignesh) have joined us and their presence is a big plus for us. We have quite a few options to pick from and that gives us immense depth and balance in the squad," Prakash said.
In addition to Jagadeesan, Vignesh and allrounder Kousik, TN have two more first-class cricketers in the squad in left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and batsman B Anirudh, who made a switch from Hyderabad to Tamil Nadu earlier this year ahead of the Ranji Trophy season.
Although there are five top players in the team, it is understood that according to
BCCI rules only three first-class players can feature in the playing XI.
"In that scenario, it will be a tough call for us on whom to leave out. We will decide on it after assessing the conditions on the morning of the match," said Prakash.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu U-19 side will face Delhi in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in St. Stephen's Ground, New Delhi, from Friday.
Nirmal, Adithya help TN U-16 gain three points: Tamil Nadu U-16 team bagged three points by virtue of gaining the first innings lead against Kerala in their U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy match at NFC Ground, Hyderabad on Thursday.
Defending 409, P Nirmal Kumar (4/52) and S Adithya Geethan (3/43) ensured Kerala were bowled out for 254 in their first innings. Following on, Kerala were 109/3 at the end of the contest.
Start a Conversation
Post comment