Absence of players won’t affect us, says Tuti coach

The captain said he was surprised to the see his team members’ commitment during the practice matches and training sessions. “The players from the districts and youngsters are raring to prove a point. I have seen players throwing themselves around in practice matches, even in grounds where the outfield is not that great. It was a good sight,” he said. 

With Abhinav Mukund not available for two matches and Karthik missing out on three or four games later in the tournament due to their commitments with the Duleep Trophy, Desai said they have their strategies in place and the absence will not affect the rhythm of the team. “We obviously looked into all these points during the draft. We have players who can step up to the occasion when needed. We have Balaji who is more of a mentor and Kaushik Gandhi is a player who we can bank on to lead the team too,” the coach added.