CHENNAI: Rajagopal Sathish’s appointment as Tamil Nadu’s captain for KS Subbiah Pillai Trophy next month came as a surprise to many including the player himself. According to many, his experience, good nature and ability to handle players helped him get the nod over several candidates with international experience.
Sathish is not the first player with only first class experience to lead TN Ranji team with a galaxy of Test cricketers. A senior TNCA member pointed out that the current chairman of the selectors S Sharath had led a TN side that had the likes of WV Raman and Robin Singh. In the recent past, S Suresh led a Tamil Nadu side that had as many as five players who had represented India.
TN coach WV Raman, who recommended Sathish’s name, believes the hard working player has it in him to deliver. “I suggested Sathish as captain because he has the required experience and we also wanted a mature guy to handle the young side. Plus, he has done well in the shorter format. Plus, his IPL experience will help him handle the pressures in the game adequately,’’ said Raman.
Could Dinesh Karthik, Abhinav Mukund or L Balaji been a better choice? “Well, they are no doubt good candidates for the job. But the selectors felt and wanted them to excel in their specialist role. They did not want to burden them with captaincy,’’ explained Raman.
The TN team is a mixture of experience and youth and picked on current form. “Keeping the format, current form and weighing factors like conditions and opposition, I think this is the best possible side one could have asked for,’’ opined Raman. Was it fair to ignore Malolan Rangarajan? “As I had said earlier, the team was picked on the format. Malolan has been bowling well, we see him as an ideal player for the longer version. Not picking him in one-dayers does not in any way question his ability. Likewise, R Prasanna too has not been picked as he is more suited for the four-day game,’’ insisted the former Ranji stalwart.
On second wicketkeeper KH Gopinath’s choice, he said: “He has scored runs heavily at the top of the order. He is also a decent keeper. In this format, we need multi-dimensional players and that’s why he was picked. Had we seen him purely as a middle-order bat, he may not have got the nod.’’
Will Gopinath open with Abhinav or will someone like rookie Shahrukh Khan partner the latter? “It is too early to reveal team strategies. The best XI will be picked based on the conditions, wicket and opposition,’’ added Raman.
Last year, Tamil Nadu qualified for the all-India round, but lost to Bengal in the quarterfinals. Can they better that?
“Well it is very difficult to say how the season will pan out. All I can say is that we are well prepared and confident. You never know how things will go in this format and T20. Kerala and Goa have come a long way and one can never take any team lightly,’’ signed off Raman.