Tamil Nadu wins BCCI-Cooch Behar Trophy after 33 years
CHENNAI: A professional display by Tamil Nadu helped the team win the BCCI-Cooch Behar Trophy (Under-19) after a gap of 33 years. In the final played a few days back, their first innings lead over Gujarat helped Tamil Nadu win. After losing the season’s opener to Punjab, Tamil Nadu won four matches on the trot in league stage. In the knock-outs, they won out right against Delhi (P-QF), Punjab (QF) and Maharashtra (SF).
One of the outstanding performances was from off-spinner J Hemchudeshan who took 47 wickets, the highest in the tournament. He was also ably supported by left-arm spinner BK Kishore who took 38 wickets and played a crucial innings of 54 in the final. Abhinav Kannan, Akshay Sarangdhar, KV Raghav, S Shrenik, Pravin (all-rounder) were impressive among the batters.
Their bowling also boosted Tamil Nadu’s win. Their outright wins in the league phase gave them the confidence that they can have a crack at the title. Hemchudeshan said, “It is great to win the title. A professional display and teamwork helped us bag the title. All the players chipped in with useful contributions and many of the players upped the level of their game in crucial junctures for us throughout the tournament. Our coach M Shanmugam sir guided us splendidly in the tournament.”
A native of Tiruchy, Hemchudeshan made the smooth transition from the Under-16 to Under-19. “I am very happy to be the top wicket taker again (47 wickets). I felt very glad when my bowling came in handy for the team. It is a great feeling when the team wins the championship in the end,” he said. “Bowling at the U-19 level, there was slight pressure initially. After regular practice and playing matches, I gained confidence and the rhythm was back, plus my self confidence grew.”

Hemchudeshan, who is still 17, has been making the right moves to improve his game and climb up the ladder in a systematic way. He is playing in the First Division league of the TNCA and also trains under noted player-cum -coach Wilkins Victor. “Wilkins sir has helped me a lot. He is also one of the reasons for me to be standing here and playing Under 19 for the state. e has helped me in getting the self-belief, developing the mindset and improving my skill sets to stay relevant at this level and keep improving,” said Hemchudeshan.
BK Kishore credited his good show to his captain and coach who extracted the best from him. “After 33 years, winning the trophy is a very special moment for me and for our team. I felt very grateful after we lifted the cup and my contribution for the team was handy. I had good support from my captain Abhinav Kannan and from my coach Shanmugam sir,” said Kishore. “During that innings of 54 in the final I had the mindset to play as long as I could play and was keen to support the batters at the other end as partnerships were very important at that stage.”
Hemchudeshan lauds captain Abhinav for leading by example and coach M Shanmugam for encouraging, and guiding him. “Abhinav leads by example. He was spot on with the bat and played beautifully throughout the tournament. He allowed me to set the fields. The semis against Maharashtra was the toughest game for us as it was a knock out game, but he guided me through. Coach Shanmugam sir helped me a lot. He shared his experience and gave me a lot of new ideas. He gave me a lot of advice as to how to bowl during a particular situation. Overall, it was a good learning experience. My next goal and ambition is to try and work hard in order to make it to the India U-19 team,” signed off Hemchudeshan.