Ranji far from over for Tamil Nadu duo KB Arun Karthick & R Malolan

CHENNAI: Having endured yet another disappointing Ranji campaign, Tamil Nadu will be mere spectators when the quarterfinals commence on Tuesday. But two of their former players — KB Arun Karthick and R Malolan — are expected to have key roles for their sides Kerala and Uttarakhand respectively in the last-8 stage. While Arun has 200 runs from 6 games this season, allrounder Malolan — in his maiden season as a professional — has managed 107 runs and 16 wickets in 8 outings.
Arun — who left the TN fold five seasons ago and played for Assam before moving to Kerala in 2017-18 season — credits the Sachin Baby-led side’s ‘win at all costs’ attitude as a key reason behind the team’s success.“Kerala as a team has a lot of self-belief. There is a strong bond between the team members and we always aspire to win the matches. Even during the game against Tamil Nadu (at Chepauk that Kerala lost) we could have played for a draw but instead went for the target. It may not have paid off on that occasion, but it has helped us grow a winning mentality,” Arun told the TOI on Monday. Kerala, who made their maiden knockouts last year, chased down 297 against Himachal in the last league clash to seal their quarters berth where they face Gujarat at Wayanad.
Malolan believes Uttarakhand — who topped the Plate Group with 44 points from 8 games — possesses strong local players who have risen to the occasion during the season. “Uttarakhand has a good league structure and players here are exposed to red ball cricket. Our local players have made a lot of difference to our side’s fortunes,” Malolan said on Monday. Uttarakhand will be taking on defending champions Vidarbha at Nagpur.
Both Arun and Malolan left TN for greener pastures, but the Indrajith-led side’s absence from the knockouts has disappointed the two. “It hurts that TN hasn’t made the knockouts. It is a team in transition and I am sure they would turn things around,” said Malolan. Arun, on his part, feels TN will definitely do well in the coming seasons. “There is quality in TN ranks and there is no denying that. It is all about putting together strong performances and believing in yourself,” Arun said.