In a knockout game, teams usually prefer to win the toss and bat out the opposition. But when one is unlucky with the coin, the call becomes tough. “Like most captains, I would prefer to bat first in case I win the toss. But having said that, in case the call goes against us, I think with the kind of bowling we have, we should not worry too much,” he said.

The TN batters have been delivering in turns. The beauty is that they have been able to up the tempo when it has mattered the most. B Indrajith, Vijay Shankar, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, to name a few, have done well in the last few games. “With the kind of batting we have, as a captain, I enjoy a lot of flexibility and can even change the order as per the situation demands. The plus point is that batters have the ability to accelerate at will and build partnerships, which is important,” said Sai Kishore.

The wicket at the moment has a bit of grass and is hard. It should initially help the bowlers and then could end up as a batting beauty in the first two days and then start aiding spin. “Yes, the wicket is hard and has a bit of grass. It should help seamers in the morning. But as I said earlier, we are prepared for anything. We should play two seamers (doesn’t reveal the names), two spinners (myself and Ajith Ram) and Pradosh can churn out some overs. So, we are keen to deliver as a unit,” signed off Sai Kishore.