Vital role: Vijay Shankar finding form has been a boon for Tamil Nadu.
| Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

After a thrilling white-ball domestic season, which began with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and continued with the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-dayers, the focus now shifts to India’s premier red-ball competition, the Ranji Trophy.

In Group D, table-topper Tamil Nadu faces Chandigarh in a high-stakes clash at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground on Thursday. Both teams have 19 points from five games, but TN tops the table on bonus points.

The host started its campaign with a victory over Saurashtra and nearly beat Delhi. In the next two games, it conceded the first-innings lead to Chhattisgarh and Assam respectively.

However, the southern side bounced back before the break, defeating Railways by an innings and 25 runs.

Pradosh Ranjan Paul, N. Jagadeesan and B. Indrajith have been consistent. Vijay Shankar, who scored a match-saving century against Chhattisgarh, has found form.

With injuries to key players Gurjapneet Singh, M. Shahrukh Khan, and pacer Sonu Yadav, skipper R. Sai Kishore will rely on the experience of pacers Sandeep Warrier, Trilok Nag, and spinner M. Siddharth.

Speaking to The Hindu about TN’s chances and taking a leaf out of the U-19 side which won the Cooch Behar title recently, Sai Kishore said: “Tamil Nadu winning any cricket championship is an inspiration for us. That victory has instilled new faith that we can win titles in red-ball cricket and not just white-ball.

“For the last 4-5 years, I’ve said Tamil Nadu will win the Ranji Trophy for sure. I will give my heart and soul to win this year, and I won’t rest without it.”

Chandigarh’s young talent has been impressive, with 20-year-old left-arm spinner Nishunk Birla leading the way with 29 wickets. All-rounder Raj Bawa has also been in excellent form.

Supporting him are off-spinner Vishu Kashyap, pacer Jagjit Singh, and key contributors Arslan Khan, Shivam Bhambri, Ankit Kaushik, and Manan Vohra.

With both teams in top form, this clash promises to be an intense battle for a place in the knockouts.