Tamil Nadu seeks first Ranji victory

Tamil Nadu, part of Elite Group A and B, has just one point to show from its first three clashes. The southern side, which came into the Ranji competition on the back of two final appearances in white ball tournaments, has found the going tough so far. Tamil Nadu lost to Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh at home, while it drew versus Madhya Pradesh.

Skipper and all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who missed the previous clash due to fever and issues in the wrist, is back for Tamil Nadu, which is still without the services of internationals Murali Vijay,Abhinav Mukund, Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin. But the form of top-order batter Kaushik Gandhi will auger well for the D Vasu-coached unit.

Gandhi, the captain of Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, came up with a match-saving century against Madhya Pradesh, helping Tamil Nadu open its account in the event. While the bowlers have delivered decent performances so far, the form of most batsmen is a cause for concern. They will have to come up with improved performances if Tamil Nadu is to pose a threat for Uttar Pradesh, which has nine points in three fixtures. It comes into the homecontest on the back of a morale-boosting victoryagainst Saurashtra.