UP's bowlers v Tamil Nadu's batsmen

Match facts

January 4-7, 2009
Start time 9.30am (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

The battle lines for the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur couldn't have been clearer - it's Tamil Nadu's batsmen against Uttar Pradesh's bowlers. UP will be missing RP Singh, who is out with an injured shoulder, but Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will test the solid line-up of Abhinav Mukund, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Dinesh Karthik and S Suresh Kumar.

Figures may suggest otherwise, but UP have been weak in batting and Tamil Nadu in bowling. Yet they have both been bailed out once each by their weaker discipline. When UP conceded 511 against Karnataka in their final league match, Tanmay Srivastava, Mohammad Kaif and Piyush Chawla took them to a first-innings lead that brought them into the quarter-finals.

For Tamil Nadu's bowlers, the moment of truth arrived when the batsmen under-performed to concede a first-innings lead against Bengal on a flat track. L Balaji answered the call then, taking five wickets for seven runs on the final morning to give the batsmen a second chance, which they grabbed with both hands.

So while the teams know they have one part of their game in order, and also that the other can strike as well, there is one shadow looming over this match that demands much more of these teams: the other semi-final, where Mumbai are the favourites to beat Saurashtra.

Mumbai have been the runaway favourites all season and, with Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan in the side, they are an ominous presence. Whoever wins in Nagpur must realise that playing Mumbai is an altogether different ball game.

Form guide

This is the second time these teams are playing each other this season. But it might not be wise to go by the embarrassment that Tamil Nadu handed to UP in Ghaziabad. UP have reinforcements this time; and Tamil Nadu are not patting themselves on the back for beating a UP side missing Kaif, Praveen, Suresh Raina and RP. "This will be a completely different game," said Badrinath. "They were missing their important players then, so we are expecting a tough semi-final."

None of the teams has lost a game since, but Tamil Nadu carry more confidence going into the semi-final for after falling behind twice in the first innings, against Baroda and Bengal, they have come back to register outright wins. "The last result shows how strong and united we are right now as a team," Badrinath said.

It can be argued that UP are not as much a form team, and they are capable of surprises in big-match situations.

Form guide (last five games, most recent first)
Uttar Pradesh: DDDWL
Tamil Nadu: WDWDW

Head to head

Praveen Kumar v M Vijay: When finally given the new ball, Praveen rocked Gujarat with 5 for 29 in the quarter-final, making sure UP didn't miss RP. More of the same will be expected of him, especially to take Vijay out early. If he gets a start, Vijay is capable of hurting bowlers bad, and in quick time. After his 243 against Maharashtra took him to the Indian team, he came back and scored a quickfire 73 against Bengal to set up their chase. It could be a decisive contest.

Mohammad Kaif v S Badrinath: Kaif is the captain and, but for his India call-up, Badrinath would have been too. They hold their respective middle orders together while being surrounded by flashier players.

Suresh Raina v L Balaji: Like Vijay, Raina is capable of running away with a game. It hasn't quite happened for him this season, but in the quarter-final he might have turned a corner. On a pitch on which their opponents managed 117, Raina scored 93 by himself. If he does well, the weak batting suddenly starts looking much stronger. Early in his innings though, he could be facing Balaji, who is making his way back to being the bowler he once was. In his first season back after injury he has taken 31 wickets at 16, and has looked better every game.

Tanmay Srivastava v Abhinav Mukund: While all the focus might be on the India players, former India players, and India hopefuls, these two Under-19 World Cup winners could be the crucial players too. They have been so far. They are their sides' leading run-getters - Srivastava with 653 at 59.36, and Mukund with 756 at 84. Srivastava turned 19 earlier this season, Mukund will during this game. If they manage to do well in this pressure situation, they might come of age.

Quotes

"We believe we can come back from any situation. The last result [a win from behind against Bengal] shows how strong and united we are.
Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath oozes confidence ahead of the semi-final

"It's unfortunate that RP Singh is not there, but PK [Praveen Kumar] is one of the smartest bowlers in domestic cricket, and is capable of getting any batsman out.
Gyanendra Pandey, UP coach, looks at the brighter side