Rahil Shah, whose five-wicket haul was instrumental in Tamil Nadu gaining the upper hand on day one of the Ranji Trophy Group A match against Uttar Pradesh, said all the bowlers had stuck to their job of keeping things tight.
“On this kind of wicket it is important not to stray and keep up the pressure. We did that and obviously, when all are bowling well, one or two will pick up wickets, like I did today,” said Rahil.
“The wicket is slow and you cannot drive on this wicket, even when the pacers are operating. So it is important to stick to your line. On the plans of the batsmen, he said, “The only plan is to bat and bat.”
Arish Alam, who was the only UP player to offer some resistance, felt the team was not yet out of the game. “This looks like a third day wicket, so batting can be difficult. Our spinners too can exploit it. They just have to make sure not to bowl too many loose deliveries and with good support from the field can make it difficult for the batsmen.” On Vijay Shankar’s wicket — he had him stumped — Arish said: “The way Vijay was batting it wasn’t very surprising too see him jumping out.” — Special Correspondent
