Even as the Tamil Nadu men’s cricket team waits for a coach to be appointed, the newly-named selection committee — headed by former left-arm spinner Sunil Subramaniam — has gotten to work. After a season to forget, where TN fared poorly across formats, they know they have to hit the ground running.
The first step, according to Sunil, is locking in the core group of players and making sure they feel the confidence and stability in the set up. And the former Tamil Nadu Cricket Association academy coach believes there is no dearth of resources or talent pool. “On the surface, it might look like we have had a terrible season.Yes, there is some justification in the way that we have not performed. But I don’t see the core as being too bad at all,” he tells CE.
“In fact, I’m quite bullish about the resources we’ve got. Not just because I’m taking the job. I know that right from the U19s to U23s, we have always been a very strong side. I know that the bench is very good. It is just that two of our main guys R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram, who are key for our team to take 20 wickets which I believe is essential no matter what your batting strength is, were injured. You need guys who bowl sides out. If you get a wicket once in every 55-plus balls, you’ve been bowling really well as a spinner. Ajith Ram was going at 40-odd, 38 balls a wicket. So, he goes away. He is not available because of injury and Sai Kishore is coming out of injury. So, the impact of the guys getting those 20 wickets was huge,” he adds.
While the 59-year-old believes that it is one of the main reasons for the lack of results, he feels that the emerging talent needs to be shown faith. Sunil says that the constant chopping and changing has neither helped the players nor the team. He wants the team to have a stable core of players who know they are in the scheme of things. “What amazed me was that more than 35-odd guys have been playing in a season (the 2025-26 season saw 39 players turn up for TN across formats). How can you have that many guys playing? And how do you expect them to perform? There will always be some kind of insecurity.”
The veteran coach, who has worked with several former TN players, continues, “If you don’t give them some amount of confidence, especially the bowling attack…I was going through the numbers. The bowling attack is hardly about 95 matches here (cumulative experience). Out of that, 54 matches, Sai Kishore alone. When you are getting these young guys in two departments, you need stability. We will freeze down on 25 people. Whatever happens next, the committee will take the blame. Unless we don’t give them seven-eight games, you never know who your key guys are. My committee’s role would be to debate hard, argue both ways and get to that 25 people.”
Some of the young talents, including the likes of D Deepesh, RS Ambrish, RD Pranav Ragavendra, J Hemchudesan, are looked at as potential options. And if the talented youngsters are not turning up for age-group teams in TN or India level, they could be a part of the senior set up. “We play so much cricket here. There is enough game-time being given to everybody. So, people are ready to play. But you have to give them time. And secondly, don’t overplay prior to Ranji Trophy. We play seven matches in one month in the league. Then we play Buchi Babu. Then we play outstation tournaments. You finish three rounds of preparation by the time Ranji Trophy starts. In the heat, if you do that, what will be left in the tank of the bowlers? Injuries are happening. By the time you are midway through the campaign, just to manage injuries becomes a job in itself. These are the things that we look at. I am going to have a word with even the captains of clubs, not to over-bowl a few guys. And then give them a rope for the state team. We just got to be patient after that. Give it a couple of years. I am sure we will get back to what the team was,” he signs off.