CHENNAI: It’s that time of the year when Tamil Nadu’s cricketers are really pulling their socks up.
They’ve been hard at it for the past week in Tiruppur, going through their hard yards at the nets to gear up for the protracted domestic season ahead of them. The first assignment in store for them is the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which kicks off come September 24.
While they had initially planned to camp in Dehradun, bad weather in the hilly terrain meant they had to look at alternatives. They chose Tiruppur for one particular reason. Considering that speedsters had been their forte during the 2016-17 season, they went for the newly-laid wickets in Tiruppur for the bounce and pace they’re offering. It’s the perfect sandbox for their pace battery to get into the groove before a long season.
“I know that I’m good with my yorkers and slower ones, but I haven’t been getting much movement of late,” said pacer Thangarasu Natarajan.
“Over these past few days — we also have really good wickets to bowl on in Tiruppur — my inswingers are coming out really well, because of inputs from (coach D) Vasu sir and the other guys. It’s the same with the other guys.”
It goes without saying that keeping the players’ bodies ticking throughout the season is top priority, considering that there’s a long domestic season — Ranji Trophy goes on till next March — waiting for them at the end of the white-ball road. That, and Tamil Nadu’s — especially their pace contingent’s — tryst with injuries over the past few years.
“That’s one of the biggest areas that we’re focussing on, fitness,” explained batsman Baba Aparajith. “We went through a lot of drills — 40m sprints, Yoyo tests, and other routines — to see where we stand. Even our camp isn’t just about bettering our skills. Our sessions have been planned in such a way that fitness is also a big part of it. We’re going through our processes, and we’re shaping up really well.”
That apart, the state’s probables are also in the process of settling down under new coach Vasu. And going by the players’ words, that gelling seems to be progressing quite well. “He’s a very hands-on coach,” remarked Natarajan.
“He’s been trying to understand each and every player’s game, and then he’s giving us tailor-made advice. He’s mostly asked us to stick to our strengths, and keep improving them with each day.”
On the personal front, Natarajan himself is on the forefront of things, considering that the 28-year-old has graduated from being a rookie to spearheading the pace battery over the last three years.
Not to mention the experience he’s gained from his T20 league outings. With Krishnamoorthy Vignesh, Abhishek Tanwar, M Mohammed and J Kousik as his pace comrades at the camp, Natarajan feels that Tamil Nadu’s pace attack is all geared up for the long road ahead.
“The best thing about the other guys is that they clearly understand their strengths and limitations. We exchange ideas and pointers to get better.”