Shankar threat looms over Dindigul

CHENNAI: Dindigul Dragons have been one of the most consistent sides in the fourth edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League and they are one step away from laying their hands on a trophy that has eluded them so far. In the summit clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, they will take on former champions Chepauk Super Gillies , who have current India allrounder Vijay Shankar in their line-up.

Shankar, who has played the last two games for Super Gillies after recuperating from a toe injury, gives his side the edge. Skipper Kaushik Gandhi feels Shankar's presence is a big boost to the side. "To have someone who has played at the highest level and can contribute for your team with bat and ball is a huge plus," he said.

Dindigul's strength, on the other hand, has been their opening pair comprising - skipper N Jagadeesan and C Hari Nishanth. The duo has three century partnerships to its name which includes the highest-ever opening wicket stand in the tournament's history (161) which they got against Karaikudi Kaalai this season. With such a prolific duo at the top, the middle-order of Dindigul remains largely untested. However, Jagadeesan is confident that his side will deliver the goods on the big day. "Compared to the previous seasons, this year the middle-order didn't get a lot of runs. However, in the Qualifier 2 against Madurai Panthers, me and Hari Nishaanth consolidated the innings at the top and rest of the middle-order rose to the occasion and scored crucial runs in the end," Jagadeesan said.

Jagadeesan conceded that the side will miss their regular skipper R Ashwin who is on national duty. "A player of his experience and exposure always comes in handy during any situation. So, it's going to be a loss, but we knew that he wouldn't be available (during the business end) because of the West Indies tour," he said.

Chepauk, on the other hand, boat of a potent pace attack. Medium-pacers G Periyasamy (16 wickets from 8 games) and S Harish Kumar (15 from 8 outings) have shouldered the bulk of bowling duties. Left-arm spinner R Alexander has complemented the pace duo well with 11 wickets from 8 matches. Like Dindigul, Chepauk too seem to be reliant on their opening pair of KH Gopinath (293 runs from 8 innings) and left-handed V Ganga Sridhar Raju (225 from 8 games) who have scored the majority of the runs.