Would Tamil Nadu carry the momentum of a close win over Gujarat into its remaining games? The answer was a resounding ‘no’.
In a flat, listless display, defending a combative 138 on a tricky pitch where the ball gripped, Tamil Nadu went down by seven wickets to Himachal Pradesh in a Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali competition here on Wednesday.
With only eight points in four games and a below-par run-rate of -0.644, Tamil Nadu’s chances of qualification are bleak.
Baffling tactics
The tactics were baffling too. On a surface where there was turn and inconsistent bounce, it is was intriguing why skipper R. Ashwin sent down so many deliveries of leg-spin and going for runs in the process.
Tamil Nadu, at crunch time, required its skipper to bowl what he does best — precise off-spin with turn, bounce and drift. Ashwin went for 38 in his four overs, without picking a wicket.
In contrast, Washington Sundar sent down four tight overs of off-spin for 19 runs. And paceman Abhishek Tanwar contained and struck. A parsimonious spell from Ashwin could have put Himachal under pressure.
Reprieve
To make matters worse, N.S. Chaturved, at extra-cover, dropped a sitter to reprieve Prashant Chopra, on 42 then, when the opener miscued left-arm spinner Sai Kishore. The lapse summed up Tamil Nadu’s day.
Chopra, using his feet and striking the ball fluently, remained unbeaten on 68 (53b, 4x4, 2x6).
There was a touch of elegance in the manner he found the gaps.
Ekant Sen struck the ball handsomely too during his 35 and Rishi Dhawan delivered the big blows in his 11-ball unbeaten 22.
Innings of poise
Earlier, M. Vijay’s pleasing 58-ball 77 (10x4, 1x6) was an innings of poise, balance and cultured strokeplay. He was light on his feet, timed the ball through the open spaces. Some of Vijay’s straight-hits and off-drives oozed quality. But then, the rest of the Tamil Nadu batting came unstuck against a disciplined Himachal attack in which left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar was the pick, conceding just 10 runs in his four overs while scalping Ashwin.
Tamil Nadu did not get its batting order right. The in-form Washington should have opened and sending Sai Kishore as a pinch hitter at No. 3 was a needless ploy. And the supposedly big-hitter, R. Vivek, walked in at No. 9 and failed to open his account. The role definition has to be clear.
Injured Indrajith out
The injury-hit TN side suffered another setback when B. Indrajith tore a ligament on his shoulder while diving to the crease to avoid being run-out. He failed to beat the throw.
Indrajith had set off for a quick single and was sent back by M. Vijay. He threw himself forward to escape being run out and was injured in the process. A shoulder dislocation was set right by physio Ramji Srinivasan but an MRI scan revealed a tear.
The consistent batsman is out of the tournament. Meanwhile S. Aniruda is recovering well from a hamstring niggle.
