CHENNAI: Former India off-spinner and chief coach of the Tamil Nadu senior white-ball team, M Venkataramana, is confident of a better show by Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare tournament which begins on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu take on Puducherry in their first game in Ahmedabad.
Tamil Nadu will be entering the tournament on the back of a disappointing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, where they failed to make the knockouts. Before that, the team had failed to register a single win in the Ranji Trophy. But Venkataramana insisted that the players have put their recent run aside and are eager to leave a good impression in their latest assignment.
"The preparations have been going on smoothly. The boys are eager to perform. They are keen to put back behind their minds the not so good show in the SMAT and start and approach the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a positive mindset," said Venkataramana.
Captain N Jagadeesan, vice-captain B Sai Sudharsan, Baba Indrajith, Pradosh Ranjan Paul and R Sai Kishore are some of the experienced members of the squad and they'll be hoping to lead by example. However, there are some, especially in the bowling department, that lack experience. Venkataramana is hopeful that the youngsters can step up to the plate and make an impact. "Our batting, in particular the top order, looks solid and good. The bowling is slightly short in experience. But guys who have done well in the Natl U-23 have been picked. So I expect them to grab the opportunity and make an impression. If you look at the team, the overall balance is good. It is up to the youngsters to make best use of the opportunity as more and more youngsters are doing well at the international level and IPL," explained the former NCA spin-bowling coach.
Sai Sudharsan struggled at the aforementioned SMAT before regaining some form towards the end. Tamil Nadu will hope that the left-handed batter can keep up his improved run. "Sudharsan is a class player. Right from the India level in the last few months he got good starts, but did not convert them. In the SMAT towards the end of the league phase, he got back his touch. He has analyzed his game and now he knows what process to follow to get his magic touch back. He is hitting the ball wonderfully now and I am sure he will be among runs in Vjay Hazare," said Venkataramana.
The coach is hopeful that the big-hitters can play to their potential and build strong partnerships. "Jagadeesan, Indrajith, Pradosh are all capable of putting up a big score. They have the game to perform against any opposition. What is important is that they click as a unit and register partnerships. In a 50 over game, partnerships are very important, in particular the middle overs. If they get their act right, our bowlers will have some cushioning to go against the opposition," he explained.
"Another important thing is patience. Coming from SMAT, the boys need to be patient and choose the right ball to attack. In simple words, be judicious in shot selection. Like T20, they need not go for their shots every ball. If they maintain a healthy run rate, keeping in mind the opposition and the conditions, we can post wins on a regular basis. This is what I have told them, not to throw away the wickets due to poor shot selection," he added.
One area of uncertainty is the bowling as the team lacks experience. The onus will be on Gurjapneet Singh, Sai Kishore and Sonu Yadav to take the initiative and deliver. The team think-tank will be burning midnight oil to get the combination right.
"The 25-30 overs should not be a problem. The remaining one is where we need to get the right guys to bowl at the right time. This is where we will need to get our calculations right. We will have a look at the wicket on the eve of the match and decide the XI. Toss is not that important, as we must be prepared to bat first or bowl first if we want to make the knock- outs," signed off Venkataramana.