Three-day games perfect preparation for Ranji Trophy: Sai Kishore

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s fast-rising left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore is delighted with the return of three-day First Division matches, which, according to him, serve as “perfect preparation” in the state team’s pursuit of the coveted Ranji Trophy.

In the premier division, the 25-year-old Sai Kishore is an integral member of Vijay CC, a heavyweight side that also possesses other Tamil Nadu regulars like Shahrukh Khan, Sandeep Warrier and Narayan Jagadeesan. “Three-day games are more relatable to the Ranji Trophy. Four-day matches would be even better,” Sai Kishore told DT Next.

“We, at Vijay CC, are looking at First Division as preparation to win the Ranji Trophy. All of us in the group are looking at it that way. For us, it is not only about winning the Rajah of Palayampatti Shield but also about winning the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu. Every league game we play, is a step towards winning the Ranji Trophy. We are pushing for an outright win in every match,” said Sai Kishore, whose Vijay CC team has 11 points from two games.

“When people say: ‘this team (Tamil Nadu) is not good enough to play red-ball cricket’, it hurts us. We take it personally. We are going to win the Ranji Trophy. It is just a matter of when we are going to do it. There is no question as to whether we will win. Our team, which has dominated white-ball cricket, has the skill sets to win the Ranji Trophy. The three-day First Division matches are helping us prepare for our goal.”

Like many other former and current Tamil Nadu cricketers, Sai Kishore opined that the two-day games – which were held in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons – served no purpose. “We could not relate to the two-day format. It was more like an extended one-day match. It was a one-day where each team was given a maximum of 90 overs per innings,” he said.

“There was nothing to take away from that. As a player, there was no growth happening. We could not judge the true potential of a player. This (three-day games) is more relatable. It feels like we are playing a proper red-ball match,” Sai Kishore went on to add.