For me, it was a no-brainer,” smiles V Yo Mahesh. The question put forth for Mahesh was why he wanted the job of Tamil Nadu head coach in the first place. Being the coach of the state has not been an easy task in recent years. In fact, in the last three seasons, they have had four different coaches — Sulakshan Kulkarni (2023-24), L Balaji (2024-25), M Senthilnathan (red-ball, 2025-26), M Venkataramana (white-ball, 2025-26).
The former all-rounder, while acknowledging the changes in the last few years, sees it as a chance to pursue his passion with coaching in an ecosystem he has been part of at various stages of his career that spanned over a decade. “I have been through the grind as a player. But my passion has always been coaching. Whatever I am right now is because of what Tamil Nadu cricket has given me. So, I understand the challenges that come with it. But this is my passion. This is where I belong, and that’s where I would like to start,” he says.
The 38-year-old, potentially the youngest to coach the state’s men’s team, takes up the job on the back of a successful stint with the U19 set-up last year. However, he knows the senior set-up would be a different challenge. Mahesh believes his playing experience with some of the senior players in the squad would make it easier to gel and have hard and honest conversations. He acknowledges that there is a need for a change in the attitude on the field, but also knows that change and progress will not happen overnight or in one season.
“We cannot be soft on the field. We have to show up for a fight. Getting the buy-in to change the attitude is not going to happen overnight. But I think it is important to make the boys realise that yes, cricket has evolved and is being played in a certain way. I am 100% sure that Virat Kohli is the only one who can be aggressive in the mind and also physically show it. But each one of us has our own way of expressing such an attitude. It is important that we instil that in the mind. It is my job to make the boys realise that cricket is being played in this way. We are highly talented, highly skilled. Maybe we should try this direction and explore,” he explains.
A former fast bowler himself, Mahesh reiterates the significance of pacers taking wickets through the course of the Ranji season. He feels the up-and-coming crop of young pacers need the right conditions to groom them for the future. The other thing he hopes for is to play as many games as they can at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The last time the team played at Chepauk was in a Ranji match against Karnataka, in early February 2024. “Chepauk has come with its own legacy. So much history is there. It is important that the boys start feeling that. And, when they experience it, it creates a different magic. It evokes a different emotion. Because, when you go into the dressing room, you know that this dressing room has been visited by Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, all these modern-day legends and our legends like M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Abhinav Mukund, L Balaji, and S Badrinath. It is important that these guys also understand the lineage that they are coming through. The number of quality cricketers who have stepped onto that ground. The benchmark that has been created by those exemplary players. I think they need to understand that. And, they need to be shown that. So, that is why I want us to come back to Chepauk.”
The head coach believes that stability and players feeling secure are key going forward. While his contract is only for six months and one season, Mahesh wants to take the first step towards building a pathway for the future. “Initially, you are not going to probably get the results that you really want. Players need to feel secure. There has to be a proper role definition that needs to be given. And these are all the small boxes that need to be ticked from the management side. That is what was missing so far,” Mahesh says.
Further hinting at his talks with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) office bearers, he informs, “The talks that I have been having with the secretary or the president of TNCA is for us to build a strong foundation. Make sure it is long-term. Whatever we are doing this year, it is for the future as well. Any season’s results are going to be important. The feeling I got from the association, from the president, from the secretary is ‘please build something for us’. It is the kind of feedback that I have gotten from them. I don’t have the time frame that you are asking for. But TNCA has been supportive enough for us to build something. And to take it forward gradually.”
