CHENNAI: Seven days. That’s the time Tamil Nadu have taken to dent their chances of making the Ranji Trophy knockouts this season. Given how they have lost at home against Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, the road ahead isn’t rosy. Especially if one considers that Tamil Nadu have four away matches lined up, apart from two fixtures against Mumbai and Railways in Chennai.
As the campaign began, there was growing optimism for a knockout appearance. They had momentum by their side, with two final appearances in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy. While it was always a tough ask to beat Karnataka — home or away — the defeat against Himachal — even without a full-strength side — isn’t what you expect.
“This is not the end of the world. This is the time to back the team, especially the youngsters in it. All of us are equally disappointed, but now is the time to focus on the remaining matches,” said chief selector M Senthilnathan.
Senthilnathan stressed on the difficulties in finding replacements for Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar. “It is a young side without many regulars. All that they need is one result to go their way. Once that happens, then the season will be back on track. This is not the time to point fingers.”
The unavailability of these players aside, their worries have only increased as M Shahrukh Khan has also been ruled out for their next match against Madhya Pradesh starting on December 25. The right-hander has a fractured finger.
While it is not easy to replace several first-choice players and expect a positive result even against a team like Himachal, some of Tamil Nadu’s decisions have been equally baffling. After playing four spinners against Karnataka, they played Himachal on the same pitch with just two. This despite being aware that the strip was a used one.
All this aside — as R Ashwin also pointed out — there are several concerns for Tamil Nadu. Their vaunted first-division league is now a two-day affair; which doesn’t help upcoming batsmen learn the art of playing time, a basic need in first-class cricket.
If that isn’t enough, the league, which began in August, is on a break after five rounds. It will resume after Ranji ends. For a state that often harps about process, it is baffling to see how they lack in basic planning.
Just hours after the second defeat in Dindigul, the mood in Tamil Nadu Cricket Association suggested a thing or two. Most were rejoicing about how four Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) regulars found a spot in IPL teams.
In terms of priority, it seems like TNPL gets precedence over other things. For a team that is searching for its first Ranji Trophy title in three decades, they begin the season with TNPL. Buchi Babu Tournament, formerly a curtain-raiser and that helped selectors pick the best for Ranji, no longer exists on their calendar because TNPL had to be accommodated.
Each season, the blame shifts from players’ attitude to coaches and then to the selectors, but fingers are seldom pointed at the association.
"The season has to begin in June, and we need to bring Buchi Babu back. We keep talking about rebuilding, but this has been going on for long. It is time we look at the system and ask if it is contributing or not. If not, it is time we change it," said former India and Tamil Nadu player Bharath Reddy.