TNPL 2019, CSG v RTW: Chepauk Super Gillies believe they can stop Ruby Trichy Warrior’s Murali Vijay
Tirunelveli, July 22: Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) believe they have the arsenal to check Ruby Trichy Warrior’s (RTW) batting spearhead Murali Vijay in their Sankar Cement Tamil Nadu Twenty20 Premier League (TNPL) match on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Vijay (81 off 56 balls) stamped his class in RTW’s first game against Karaikudi Kaalai but they lost in the Super Over. The right-handed opener stood tall while wickets fell at the other end with a late charge to force the game into a thrilling tie.
CSG’s top-order batsman KH Gopinath is not worried about the Vijay threat and is confident their bowlers have the potential to keep the international star quiet. “Vijay’s innings was slow, in fact, his score was below run a ball before he went after the bowling in the last six overs. I think his intention of attacking after the 15th over might help us take the game away from him before he starts to attack. We have the bowling attack to stop him even in the death overs,” he said.
Gopinath goes on to add bowling is the team’s strongest suit and if the batting holds up they will be a force to reckon with. “Apart from batting, our bowling and fielding setup is good. In fact, we have one of the best bowling attacks in this TNPL, so slight modification in our batting will get us better,” he added.
Both CSG and RTW have yet to open their account and would be desperate to log their first points. CSG lost to Dindigul Dragons by 10 runs while RTW was edged out in the Super Over by Karaikudi.
For RTW, there were more positives than negatives from the first game, if young opener Aditya Barooah is to be believed. “It was just a matter of one ball, where both teams could’ve won or lost. Our coach (Ajay Kudua) was positive and he asked us to keep our heads high because we fought really well. There were no negative thoughts at all and from here we’re looking to gain momentum,” he said.
The 21-year-old opener, who is playing his first season in TNPL, warns that the team is not just about Murali Vijay. “Before coming into this tournament we played a few practice games in which Murali Vijay wasn’t there. We managed to win one and lost the other game by one run. So, I don’t think we are completely dependent on Vijay. Vijay obviously has this massive reputation and opposition is always under pressure as he can fire anytime. I believe, even in his absence we have the experience to handle ourselves and play well,” he said.
Match 6: Ruby Trichy Warriors v Chepauk Super Gillies
Venue: India Cements Limited-Sankar Nagar ground, Tirunelveli
When: July 22, 2019 (Tuesday)
Match timings: 7:15 P.M. onwards
Live on: Star Sports 3, Star Sports (Tamil), Vijay Super
Players to watch out: Murali Vijay, K Vignesh (RTW); Murugan Ashwin, R Alexandar (CSG)
Head to Head: Ruby Trichy Warriors 1, Chepauk Super Gillies 2
2018 league record: RTW finished sixth; CSG finished eighth
TEAMS
Ruby Trichy Warriors: Murali Vijay, Aditya Barooah, Aravind S, Maaruthi Raghav, Ganapati Chandrasekar, Mani Bharathy (WK), P Saravana Kumar, R Sai Kishore (captain), L Vignesh, K Vignesh, M Poiyamozhi, Sanjay MS, DT Chandrasekar, Adithya Ganesh, K Mukunth.
Chepauk Super Gillies: M Kaushik Gandhi (captain), KH Gopinath, V Ganga Sridhar Raju, U Sasidev, S Harish Kumar, Murugan Ashwin, A Aarif (WK), M Siddharth, D Rahul, G Periyaswamy, R Alexandar, B Rahul, MK Siva Kumar, V Arun Kumar, Sunny Kumar Singh.
Umpires: K Srinivasan, K Raghuram. Third Umpire: Mohd Rafi.
Match Referee: K Bharath Kumar.
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