Sudharsan and Warrier power Tamil Nadu to a 33-run win in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023

In round 2 of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Group E teams Goa and Tamil Nadu clashed against each other at Thane’s Dadoji Konddeo Stadium on November 25. Tamil Nadu led by Dinesh Karthik boasts of IPL stars in its team. All the 11 players have been playing the marquee franchise cricket tournament. On the other hand, Goa has three IPL players, including Arjun Tendulkar, Suyash Prabhudesai, and Rahul Tripathi.

The match was played on a red soil wicket, which offered assistance to the fast bowlers in the first hour of play. Later as the match progressed, the conditions became better for batting. Tamil Nadu made the most of the good batting conditions as they posted 296/8 in 50 overs, riding on Sai Sudharsan’s fantastic 125. Towards the end, Karthik played a stroke-filled 47 off 31 and remained unbeaten. The wicket-keeper-batter hammered six fours and two sixes and in the end, his unbeaten innings proved to be the difference between the two teams.

In reply, Goa fought hard as they scored 263 in their full quota of 50 overs. Snehal Kauthankar (55) and Krishnamurthy Siddharth (61) struct delectable half-centuries. However, their effort went in vain as their team fell shy of 33 runs. Tamil Nadu’s new ball bowler Sandeep Warrier was the most successful bowler with four wickets and was ably supported by spin twins Sai Kishore and Baba Aparajith, who claimed two wickets apiece.

“We had an excellent practice camp at Boisar for about 10 days. My focus has always been on playing conventional cricketing shots. That’s what has helped me in my batting. As a kid, I liked watching Mike Hussey and Justin Langer and in recent years, I am inspired by Washington Sundar’s batting. Today the conditions were hot and humid. It was challenging to bat. Also, Goa bowled well. I think the exposure that I got during the IPL has helped me a lot. Besides, I enjoy one day cricket since it is a mix of T20 and Test.” Sudharsan told Thanevaibhav after the match.

Sudharsan who has started this tournament well aims to win Vijay Hazare trophy this year. He said, “We have done well in the past few years and my goal is to win the tournament.”

The next match at Dadoji Konddeo Stadium will be played on November 27 between Baroda and Nagaland. The match will start at 9 am.