Mumbai, Jan 9: The Ranji Trophy semifinal between league-stage toppers Mumbai and Tamil Nadu is expected to be an engaging encounter with both teams boasting strong squads. Tamil Nadu features players like L Balaji, Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath, Murali Vijay and A Mukund who have, over the years, put in impressive performances for the national side as well.

Bowling veteran Balaji spoke to the media about his team’s chances ahead of the knockout game.

Excerpts:

On his fitness

I have [been suffering from] back spasms [that] [last] two or three days.

On the semifinal against Mumbai

Tamil Nadu and Bombay encounters have been very good. Both teams play with their heart and mind so it’s a good challenge. […] Both teams will give it their hundred percent.

On Tamil Nadu’s chances

I don’t consider it as a knockout, [it is] just another game for me. It is the process that we have been working on. We have [weathered] tough times […] and [are making the most of] every positive and good sign which we have generated […].

On their batting line-up

We have a good batting line-up, very experienced so everyone knows their responsibility and have played enough games over a number of years and have played to their potential. We are headed in the right direction.

On the wicket

Looks like a good wicket, as always. I believe Mumbai will [be strong in] three aspects of the game – in spin, fast bowling, and batting. Everyone will gain out of this game. They play very positive cricket.

On whether wickets in India should change

I feel you should encourage 20-wicket oriented cricket. [Only when a team has been bowled out twice] should a team’s success or failure [be] decided. Not [on the basis of] one innings [like the first-innings lead method][…]. That’s what I have been telling my team: to look [at] the positives of taking twenty wickets. [Then] you are given a chance to get a complete victory. That’s the [result] we want, playing a two-innings game.

On the best wicket he has played on

I think Dharamsala has the best wicket because it produced a good amount of results. [On] Day 4 there was the possibility of a result and the match was always intense. You don’t get scores of 500 or 600 and then put the opponent [in] to score 450; then the fourth day goes to waste. So [if the score] is around 350, you try to get a lead with the last wicket [which makes the game interesting]. That builds character in each individual sportsperson. It shows you have to come hard in the second innings to get the opponents out and chase again.

On maintaining green wickets

Cricket is played throughout the year so it is very difficult for a curator to maintain the grass as well as the hardness of the wicket, so it definitely slows down. It is a challenge so we [should use] a secondary ground […] so that we can keep rotating the wicket. Those kinds of things will make huge difference to our first-class cricket.