Pink ball is more suited for slightly seaming wickets: Karthik

Tuti Patriots skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the Tamil Nadu Premier League as a grand success. “In all honesty, the edition has been a grand success. People say there is a lot of interest created in the districts. Earlier the clubs used to have 100 people and now 150 are coming in – a sign of improvement. As I said during the start of the tournament, the main agenda of the league has been to help people come forward from the districts and learning about the game. If that is the barometer to go by, we have done really well,” he said. 

Karthik had to miss some of his team’s league matches owing to his inclusion in the Duleep Trophy and said playing with the pink ball was a different experience. “The pink ball is an interesting concept, and as I have been saying, if the crowd was what we needed to go by, then lots of people came for the game. But, in terms of the ball, they still have to do a little bit of work. It is more suited for slightly seaming wickets, as the ball can hold on to its lacquer, a little bit. 

“For the spinners, there is not much purchase off the wicket. Day-night Tests are a very interesting concept; it should be embraced by all countries”, he said. 

Commenting on whether the tournament can produce national level players in an instant, Karthik said: “No one can directly find a place in the Indian team solely on their performance in the TNPL. Firstly, after playing in this tournament, they will have to play for the Tamil Nadu team — something that can happen in this year. When they play well for Tamil Nadu, they will be looked for an IPL team straightaway, and that is the way to go, depending on how they perform.” 

Chepauk Super Gillies skipper Rajagopal Sathish said he wasn’t ready to play outside Tamil Nadu after failing to find his name in the Ranji Trophy probables. “I will just play my normal game, enjoy the cricket, score some runs and put pressure on the selectors. I am not looking to play Ranji Trophy outside of Tamil Nadu,” he said.