Tamil Nadu's N. Jagadeesan will look to take the lead in the Ranji Trophy match against Delhi on October 18, 2024. | Photo credit: M. Periasamy

Woolen caps, cotton earplugs and long-sleeved sweaters came in handy for the Tamil Nadu players in their recent Ranji Trophy match against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. That was in December 2022, when the state capital was in the middle of a cold wave and the minimum temperature dropped to 5.6 degrees Celsius. They're here again, but they'll probably like the weather much better this time since the winter season doesn't start for another few weeks.

supremacy

Whatever the climate, Tamil Nadu is ahead ahead of its second-round match against Delhi, which begins on Friday. In each of the previous three meetings between these teams – all tied – they ran away with the lead in the first inning.

It also brings with it the confidence to beat Saurashtra by an innings and 70 runs in their first game of the season in Coimbatore. While the unavailability of regular skipper and frontline left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore is a setback due to his selection in the India-A squad for the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Muscat, it should be offset by the return of Washington Sundar . The spinner all-rounder had missed the opening match due to his involvement in India's T20I series against Bangladesh. N. Jagadeesan will lead the team in the absence of Sai Kishore.

Absentees

Delhi, which took the lead in the first innings of its drawn opener against Chhattisgarh in Raipur, also has a few failures. Ayush Badoni, Anuj Rawat and Hrithik Shokeen are also part of the India A team in Muscat. Pacer Simarjeet Singh is believed to have an injury.

“It's a very important game for us because if you want to qualify, you need wins against the other top teams in your pool,” Delhi captain Himmat Singh said after Thursday's training session. “We will try to win this game at home.”