Twitter
Advertisement

It will be Tamil Nadu's will to win vs Karnataka's confidence: TN coach WV Raman

TN coach WV Raman tells G Krishnan that his team has shown a lot of character to reach the Ranji Trophy final that begins at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

Latest News
article-main
Coach Woorkeri Raman at the Practice session of his team tamil Nadu for Ranji Trophy at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Tamil Nadu lost to Karnataka in the first round. This final is the best chance to avenge that defeat and add to TN's long-due Ranji title, isn't it?
There is no point in thinking about what happened a few months ago. Since then, both the teams have played a lot of cricket. Both have had their ups and downs. It is a case of both the teams playing yet another game.

You were part of the final when the two teams last met for the title in 1995-96 and which Karnataka won. This final gives you a chance to pull one back, doesn't it?
There is no point going back and trying to hype it, making this a revenge game. As I said earlier, this is a final. Obviously, it is a big occasion but it is just another game.

How would you sum up TN's current season?
The important thing was the boys showed character. We did not get off the blocks well enough. Then, things went down south after the first game. We did not perform as well as we could have in a couple of home games. Slowly the revival came. It took a lot of character from the boys. And progressively, they have improved in several aspects of the game. The most heartening aspect is that quite a few youngsters stood up to the pressure and delivered when it mattered.

Who has made the difference to the side?
You cannot really bring it down to one person. The point is that all the youngsters at different stages, when required, put their hands up. In the knock-out stage, all of them showed a lot of patience, which is very important in a five-day game. That is a very good sign. It was heartening to see the boys stick it out.

How much has Murali Vijay joining the squad after the Australia Test series helped Tamil Nadu?
His absence was one of the weak links we had at the top of the order. We tried different youngsters along with Abhinav Mukund at the top. Obviously, if you get back someone who has been performing as well as he (Murali Vijay) has been in the last one year in international cricket, it is going to be a huge bonus both in terms of the team's composition and the reinforcement as also the psychological advantage of having somebody as acclaimed as Murali Vijay is.

How close was the semifinal against Maharashtra, though the margin of first innings lead was 95 runs. TN batted on and on. And so did Maharashtra.
We had to bat on and on for the simple reason that they (Maharashtra) adapted a strategy to frustrate the batsmen and get them out. This meant for most part of the innings, patience was going to be the key. That is what was required for the tactics that Maharashtra employed. No harm in a five-day game if a side takes some time to get runs. In a given situation, if the opposition demands patience from you, exhibit it. It is only then that you get the result.

How do you look at Karnataka, your final opponents?
It is a good side. They have been doing well in the last 18 months. The point is simple. If the TN boys can replicate what they have been doing in the last few weeks, then it is definitely going to be a very interesting game.

Were you happy with the overall pitches you played this season? Mumbai vs TN saw 14 wickets fall on the first day in Chennai whereas the Bangalore semifinal saw 21 wickets fall on Day 1...
Pitches are something that we don't have control over and there is no point in mourning about it or giving too much credence to it. At the end of the day, it is a question of any team having to go out and play. There is nothing any team can do if the curator dishes out any kind of pitch. Logically, if a side is good enough, they should adopt to different conditions and come out on top.

TN have many young bowlers but there is one constant name in Lakshmipathi Balaji...
We adopted the horses for courses policy as far as going for the combination is concerned. This is where it required the team management and the selection committee to be on the same page and on those lines, it was definitely a good season in terms of pulling their socks together and getting the combination going. No matter what, you cannot discount somebody's experience. Experience is something that is enriched over a period of time and if you have somebody like him (Balaji), who not only delivers as a bowler himself but also be a mentor for others in the side, you cannot ask for anything more.

Has the settled down under Abhinav Mukund's captaincy, after R Prasanna led in the first half before an injury kept him out?
It's not as much as the captain which matters as settling down individually. Individually the boys have settled down. It is like saying, captain is as good as the captain or the team is as good as the captain. In our case, it took a little bit of time for all the boys to settle down and realise what it takes to do in Ranji Trophy because they are used to playing a different brand of cricket, against different sides and conditions, they realised that things need to be done differently to succeed.

Tamil Nadu batting looks solid. Is it fair to say it will be TN batting vs Karnataka bowling in the final, considering that Karnataka have R Vinay Kumar (41 wickets this season), Abhimanyu Mithun (36), Sreenath Aravind (39) – 116 wickets between them – and add to them, Shreyas Gopal's 24?
I would rather put it down to a game of confidence vs the will to win. Tamil Nadu's will to win vs Karnataka's confidence. Because, we had to fight all through the last 3-4 games. After the first five games, we had to fight to where we have reached now. After the fifth game, we had various possibilities, one of which was going down. From there, the boys have rallied, fought hard. It was just a question of not thinking far too ahead, try and go and look at what they can gain, approach with a positive frame of mind, not think too much. It was a question of going out on the field, playing and taking as the plot unfolds. There is no point in thinking too much about what should be, what could be, how to be, how not to be.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement