Lack of killer instinct did Tamil Nadu in

Inadequate pace bowling resources and one poor batting effort cost Vijay Shankar’s men dear

After dominating the limited-overs tournaments (Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 champion, Vijay Hazare Trophy finalist), it was a familiar script for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy as it failed to make it past the group stage for the fourth straight season.

Its campaign ended after a two-wicket loss to Jharkhand on Sunday.

With TN playing two of its three matches at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati in conditions similar to the one back home in Chennai, there was immense belief that the team could get at least one outright result.

Instead, the age-old problem — lack of bowling depth, especially in the pace department — and one poor batting effort (second innings vs Jharkhand) cost the team dear.

In the first two matches, most batters stepped up at different times. Vice-captain B. Indrajith was unstoppable, scoring three centuries and a fifty. B. Aparajith and M. Shahrukh Khan, too, slammed crucial hundreds.

However, in the final game, barring Indrajith and Sai Kishore, no batter stood up against a quality Jharkhand attack.

The openers were clearly rattled by the high-quality pace of Rahul Shukla.