Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat called his side’s quarterfinal clash against Tamil Nadu a contest of equals despite the defending champion having a core group of players who have won the title twice in the last three years.
“We have played many more high-intensity games in the last three or four seasons. And that does help the players when they are put under pressure. But I would still say it’s a contest of equals because they are playing at home and know the conditions well,” said the left-arm pacer who has led his side to both its titles.
At the same time, the 32-year-old added, “Tamil Nadu is here (in the knockouts) after six seasons, and I hope that they feel that pressure of playing that knockout game more than we do because we have been here more in the last few seasons.”
However, Tamil Nadu head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said his team was not awed by the occasion. “If you think that a knockout match is a different ball game, it becomes a different one. It is all about mindset. I want the players to treat this as a routine match, just like how we played Karnataka or Punjab in the group stage,” remarked Kulkarni.