Heavy rain over the past few days has kept the Chepauk pitch under covers. A green tinge suggested that it could help the seamers in overcast conditions. What lay beneath it was a matter of curiosity for both teams, when it came to choosing the XI and to deciding what to do on winning the toss.

For the second match in a row, Tamil Nadu captain R Sai Kishore won it and put the opposition in. On a pitch with plenty of moisture, the seamers did the early damage, Sonu Yadav in particular, and Railways were 7 for 3. The spinners, led by Sai Kishore, had them at 123 for 9 . It was much the script of the game against Uttarakhand last week.

If Gurjapneet Singh broke Uttarakhand’s back then, on Monday it was the turn of Sonu, a medium-pacer who relies extensively on swing. Overcast skies are a rarity in Chennai . The pitches in the First Division here tend to favour spinners, so seamers have had little to do, and the local conditions have often held back the development of fast bowlers.…