Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Sense of relief for Tamil Nadu players after qualifying for knockouts

After five disappointing seasons, Tamil Nadu finally reached the knockout stage of the premier domestic tournament in the country after topping its group with four wins from seven outings.

Following its comprehensive nine-wicket win against Punjab on Monday, there was jubilation but also a sense of relief among the players and support staff.

“It feels good, and the whole team’s vibe is great,” was how skipper Sai Kishore put it after progressing to the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy.

“A lot of things have to come together, but when you back the right people and are hardworking, it is great.”

A striking feature of TN’s campaign is that it has bowled out the opposition twice in all the matches, something the team had previously struggled with.

“The fact everyone stepped up has been fantastic. Before the season, we decided Sandeep Warrier and I would handle the pressure situations, but M. Mohammed and Ajith Ram have stepped up nicely. Even Pradosh and Mohammed Ali have also contributed well with crucial wickets,” explained the 27-year-old.

While the two left-arm spinners Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram have led the way with 38 and 36 wickets, respectively, pacer Sandeep Warrier (18 wickets) has been equally impressive, providing crucial breakthroughs even on spin-friendly surfaces at home.

“Sandeep Warrier has been a phenomenal asset. He wants to take his career to the next level, has shown great work ethic and is a complete team man,” said bowling coach L. Balaji about the pace spearhead.

“He is probably one of the major components of our bowling unit and is willing to do the tough yards for the team. The courage, intelligence, skills and sustainability he has shown, running in all day, shows that he wants to go for excellence,” added the former India pacer.

Head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who was roped in ahead of this season to improve the team’s Ranji Trophy fortunes, was relieved at crossing the first hurdle.

“After the first two games, we had only one point, but to win four out of the last five matches outright gives a lot of satisfaction. I feel happy for the team. All our top-order batters have had big knocks, and Sandeep Warrier has shown a big heart,” said Kulkarni.

“We also had some promising youngsters coming through this year. We want to perform well but also develop a team for the future,” he added.