Vijay Hazare Trophy: Favourite Tamil Nadu takes on Gujarat

Change in formats has not resulted in change in fortunes for TN as it struggled in both the longest and the shortest forms this season. Tamil Nadu is the reigning champion in the 50-over version, and its coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar will hope his wards will maintain the status quo. 

“This will be like any other tournament. Last year we reached the semi-final of Ranji Trophy. And then we won the Vijay Hazare and the Deodhar Trophy. I’m only concerned about playing our best cricket. If we do that, we will surely win.

“It is very important to win tournaments. As a team we play to win. I won’t be happy with just turning up and returning home empty-handed,” said the 43-year-old. 

With premier offspinner R Ashwin back in the squad, much will be expected from him who last played a one-day nearly six months ago. “I expect a lot from Ashwin because he is a complete player and he recently played Test cricket at a very high level. So, I’m expecting that he turns up and does really well,” added Kanitkar. The TN coach also confirmed that Murali Vijay will open the batting. 

The absence of middle order bulwark Dinesh Karthik, who is away in South Africa on national duty, will be felt but Kanitkar hoped that the younger batsmen will step into the breach. “Dinesh Karthik’s main advantage apart from his ability was his experience. This year we have a more experienced side and I’m confident that other guys will also take up that role. Most of the younger crop learnt a lot from Karthik last year and hopefully they will be able to execute that,” remarked Kanitkar. 

Kanitkar is impressed with how Aswin Crist has recovered from his injury and added that he is likely to be in the starting eleven. “Aswin is bowling well in the nets. We will have to see how he bowls in the match. I will be happy if he is 100 per cent fit,” said the former India player. 

When asked about the notable omission of legspinner M Ashwin, Kanitkar felt his replacement M Abhinav has made a case for himself with a string of noteworthy performances. “We felt that we had to look at some other option in place of M Ashwin in the 50-over format and the young M Abhinav has been doing well lately,” added Kanitkar.