A very un-Tamil Nadu-like Ranji season

Some bright spots in a dull couple of months

Washington Sundar did well

Young off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar had a middling but much improved second Ranji season, and an outstanding Duleep Trophy before Ranji Trophy. His lack of top order opportunities is a talking point as he has shown great composure at the top and batted there all his junior cricket. Likewise, he deserves a larger share of the bowling duty – often, he was only brought in as the fifth or sixth bowling change. V Yomahesh has had a great comeback season.

Less than a decade ago, he was a budding cricketer, having played for TN in all formats and even featuring in the IPL regularly. His comeback, and especially his improved batting will hold good stead for TN in the upcoming seasons. K Vignesh shone throughout the season, except for one match in between where he went wicketless. He bowled tirelessly long spells each game, and was right on the money more often than not. As TN’s number XI batsman, on quite a few occasions, he wielded the willow in a composed fashion, attacking and defending as required and lending much needed support to the batsman at the other end.

Limited overs cricket is something that Tamil Nadu has found consistent success in. With several cricketers having been exposed to higher cricketing honours in the IPL, A-team tours and international cricket, they often show dominance in the 50 over format. It is safe to say that mistakes look smaller in a 100-overs game than a 360-overs one, and TN often capitalise on the crunch moments and build their victories on it. However, with Dinesh Karthik likely to be out of the squad on national duty for at least a phase of the group stage, TN needs the likes of N Jagadeesan to step up and perform with consistently, the way he did in the 2016-17 Deodhar Trophy. While a fan looks forward to another successful coloured-clothing season with the possibility of unlocking new performers, he still waits for the day when the Ranji Trophy is finally lifted again.