Hrishikesh Kanitkar Hopes To Make Tamil Nadu A Dominant Force
Mar 21, 2017 at 1:19 PM
Tamil Nadu’s wonderful run in domestic circuit reached its peak when they beat Bengal in final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to lift the coveted title. The spectacular win came after a semi-final finish in the Ranji Trophy and the runners-up finish in the Zonal T20s.
While the team has benefited from the mixture of youth and experience, there has been one man – former India cricketer Hrishikesh Kanitkar – who has silently done his hard work and propelled the side to earn these achievements. Describing the season and the title win, Kanitkar said:
“It has been a very good reward for all the hard work and effort we had put.
“Our philosophy is not to look at numbers but to focus on what is in our control, which is preparing well. If we are able to prepare at a high level — skill-wise — then the result will take care of itself.”
Kanitkar boasts a fabulous record as coach and mentor, having led underdogs Rajasthan side to two back-to-back Ranji titles few years back. While he has some great credentials to show, his time with the Tamil Nadu side did not begin on a bright note.
TN suffered an outright loss to Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy before conceding a first innings lead against Railways in the second game. This false start prompted Kanitkar to have a chat with the team and inspire them.
“The thing I told was this side is way too good to be playing this way.” TN came back strongly in the second innings to win the match and marched on.
But according to Kanitkar, the turning point came early, in the second innings of the match against Mumbai, where the team almost pulled off a win defending a modest total of 97.
“Despite losing that match, the way we fought back in the second innings showed we can do well. We came back strongly and almost won that match.”
On what his assessment was about the side when he took over, Kanitkar said:
“I did not want to be judgemental about the players and instead wanted to be forming my own opinions. When I took over, it was great help to have Bala (L. Balaji) as part of the support staff. He was a sounding board for me,” he added.
Speaking about the roadmap ahead, Kanitkar said:
“We are learning every day, but it is important to be not good just for a season or two. We should see Mumbai’s record and keep that as long-term goal, but focus on getting a little better every day. And we are on the right road,” said Kanitkar before signing off.