Venkataramana says a call on Sai Sudharsan, centre, will be taken only on Monday morning.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Tamil Nadu is yet to hit its full stride in the domestic limited over competitions this season. The former champion failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) T20 tournament. It won only three out of seven matches and finished fourth in Elite Group D.
The victories came against Uttarakhand, Saurashtra and Tripura, but the team came second best to stronger sides Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka and Jharkhand.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), Tamil Nadu started its campaign with a huge 101-run win over Pondicherry in Elite Group A. But the inconsistency, which befell the team this season, came to haunt it again in the second match against Madhya Pradesh which it lost by two wickets.
However, former India off-spinner M. Venkataramana, who replaced M. Senthilnathan, as the coach for the SMAT and VHT tournaments, was happy with the way his team performed against Madhya Pradesh.
“I am pleased with the way we fought back in the match. Madhya Pradesh was cruising at one stage, but Govinth Ganesh’s excellent second spell brought us back into the contest. I was impressed with the way Govinth bowled though he didn’t get any wickets in his first spell. The team is settling down. It is a blend of experience and youth. We are working hard and success will not come overnight. But I believe we are in the right path of progression. The young boys are putting their hands up and contributing.
“I was happy with way Sunny Sandhu batted and finished the innings. He scored valuable runs in the first two matches. Yes we have to be more consistent. I thought we wasted a good start and were some 30 runs short against Madhya Pradesh. We have to address this in the upcoming matches,” he said.
Tamil Nadu meets an in-form Karnataka on Monday. “It will be good contest between two traditional rivals. They have got an excellent side and have the momentum with them. They have been chasing well and their batters are in good form. But I have belief in my boys and hope we can turn things around. We are closely monitoring Sai Sudharsan’s fitness and will take a call on Monday morning,” said the coach.
Venkataramana was satisfied with the team’s overall performance in the SMAT. “We had a good team. It was disappointing not to qualify for the knockouts. But overall I was happy with the performance and three wins was not a bad return in a tough group. There were some positives which we hope to build on in the Hazare Trophy”.
Published – December 28, 2025 07:12 pm IST