Focused: It will serve Tamil Nadu’s cause well if Sai Kishore’s determination rubs on his teammates.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Tamil Nadu hasn’t had the ideal start for its Ranji Trophy campaign — it lost against Gujarat in the opener, then didn’t get to play much versus Tripura due to unsuitable weather.
That’s why skipper Sai Kishore feels that it’s “time to strike gold” now.
He is confident of assuming the responsibility of winning the next two matches for Tamil Nadu on his own.
Mindset
“In the next two games, we have to strike gold. That’s my mindset. I’m very confident on myself, on the team.
“I take it all on myself, have always been someone who takes up responsibility for winning games. So, I wanna win the next two games, not as a captain, but on my own. If people come with me (on that winning pursuit), it would be great. But on my own, I will do it, for sure!” he said on the eve of Tamil Nadu’s third-round Ranji Trophy match versus Railways here on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni spoke about the positives from the first two matches.
“Definitely, the fightback. In the first match against Gujarat, it was the fightback when we were on 119 for eight. From there, M. Mohammed and Sandy (Sandeep Warrier) put on a 116-run partnership and we got a 14-run lead. So, at least, we showed that fightback attitude. That was very encouraging.
“Last match (vs Tripura), it was two batters — Vijay Shankar and Baba Indrajith. I had mentioned seniors should take the responsibility. So, yes, they took the responsibility and that will help us to go forward.”
Both the captain and the coach concurred that pacer Kuldeep Sen is a welcome addition to the squad, but weren’t sure if he’ll feature versus Railways.
“Kuldeep is a fantastic bowler. How much of help it will be in Coimbatore, is a tough question. But he is someone who can bowl around 140 kph consistently, and it’s a rare thing in domestic cricket. So, fantastic addition as far as Kuldeep is concerned,” said Sai Kishore.
He felt that the Coimbatore pitch typically “gets slightly slower as the match progresses.”
The captain and the coach also said that all-rounder Washington Sundar isn’t available for the match beginning on Friday at the SNR College cricket ground.
