JOIN USDespite bagging five titles in the space of a year, this young Karnataka side has handled that enormous success with rare maturity. Three top-line figures of this squad -- skipper R Vinay Kumar and coaches J Arunkumar and Mansur Ali Khan -- believed precisely those qualities would stand the defending Ranji Trophy champions in good stead in the new season.
“We have had a good start to the season (winning the Subbiah Pillai Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy) and the boys are all looking forward to the start of the Ranji Trophy. One of the advantages of this side is that it is very mature and does not like living on past glory. Vinay himself is the kind of guy who always stays in the present, so that will ensure that the team also stays in the present and doesn’t keep thinking about the fact that we won the title last year,” said Arunkumar, the batting coach.
Vinay opined that his team was good to tackle all kind of situations. “The confidence of the team is pretty high after winning the Subbiah Pillai Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Almost all the batsmen have been among the runs, and the bowlers have warmed up nicely for the Ranji season. We can expect more from this team. It knows how to handle pressure, and also what to do to keep winning games of cricket.”
Mansur, the bowling coach, stressed on the ability of the Karnataka bowling unit to pick wickets regularly, while giving a pat to young leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal. “It is a very professional side. The boys are very adept at adapting to different formats in a short span.
We are strong in all three departments. To win nine outright matches last season means you have to keep taking 20 wickets in a game, and we have the bowling unit to do so. I think Shreyas is also an excellent talent. We should leave the boy alone, not put too much pressure on him. He has a big heart, and while he knows there are expectations of him, I am confident that he will continue to take wickets.”
WV Raman, the Tamil Nadu coach, talked about the need to produce a collective effort. “Ours is a team in transition. There are a few youngsters in the set up, we will look to take it match by match depending on the conditions and the strengths of the opposition. This will be a tough game. We will need all 11 players to contribute, not just one or two, as epitomised by the current Ranji champions.”
On S Badrinath moving to play for Vidarbha, the former India batsman said: “We always knew that the Badri situation would happen at some stage, we thought it might be one or two years down the road but it has happened now. Obviously, we will miss him but it is a wonderful opportunity for a young batsman to put his hand up and make a name for himself.”
DH News Service