Ranji Trophy 2025-26: With effective preparation, Tamil Nadu hopes to combat its seam-friendly-wicket issue
Tamil Nadu will get a major boost ahead of its Ranji Trophy opener versus Jharkhand, set to begin at the SNR College cricket ground here on Wednesday.
N. Jagadeesan and B. Sai Sudharsan, who were with Team India for the second Test against West Indies that concluded on Tuesday, are likely to play the match. Both are expected to open the innings for Tamil Nadu.
Speaking after the team practice on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu head coach M. Senthilnathan said that the squad “probably had one of the best preparatory camps.”
The Tamil Nadu team trained in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur ahead of the red-ball tournament. The training has included “centre-wicket match simulations with specific targets for batters and bowlers,” emphasising patience and strategy for four-day games. The team has practised on turning tracks and green tops to prepare for different conditions, including away games.
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In the recent past, Tamil Nadu’s struggle to adapt to green seam-friendly wickets in away games has been its Achilles’ heel.
Speaking about how the team is well-equipped for that challenge this season, the coach said: “We have a pretty good pace attack now. Sandy (Sandeep Warrier) is back (from injury). Gurjap (Gurjapneet Singh) is back (from injury). The U-19 boy (R.S. Ambrish) is there as an all-rounder and third seamer. Then, we have Trilok (Nag) and C.V. Achyuth. One thing I have done is that I have streamlined the pace unit — I’ve probably identified that this could be the fast-bowling unit.
“The batters have to adjust to it (green tops). We have given enough practice. It’s just the adjustment, not anything else. The frame of mind has to change. It’s difficult since we don’t have any wickets in Chennai for those kinds of league matches (TNCA first division league). But we had a pretty solid preparation. So, we’re well-prepared for any kind of combat.”
Jharkhand, on the other hand, would take confidence from the fact that it beat Tamil Nadu to finish the last season on a high. The win was fashioned by its spinners Utkarsh Singh (off-spin) and Manishi (left-arm spin), both of whom it will look up to if the pitch offers turn. It also has a capable spinner in all-rounder Anukul Roy. Skipper Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra will be its batting heavyweights.
Published on Oct 14, 2025
