Need to develop bench strength in bowling unit: Venkataramana

CHENNAI: Head coach M Venkataramana gave his assessment of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy 2022-23 campaign that ended prematurely in the first round. Venkataramana said that Tamil Nadu must develop bench strength in the bowling department to succeed in the premier red-ball tournament in the upcoming years.

EXCERPTS FROM DT NEXT CHAT

On his assessment

The campaign was very good. We were a bit unlucky not to qualify. We played some good cricket. That is very much evident from our performances. We could have pulled off wins against Hyderabad and Delhi. Had we won, we would have been sitting pretty on the table.

On how the loss to Andhra Pradesh hurt the team’s chances

We could have created momentum with a win over Andhra. Definitely, it was a bad loss. A few things did not go in our favour in that match. It will not look good if I speak about that after losing the match. We took it as part of the game. Overall, we saw encouraging signs.

On the positives from a disappointing season

We had a great batting unit. In total, our batters scored 12 hundreds. Sandeep Warrier was extraordinary and R Sai Kishore put the opponents under pressure. He picked up 29 wickets [in six matches]. His performances were very good. S Ajith Ram too did well. It hurts when you perform well but do not qualify. I think that we are kind of growing.

On where Tamil Nadu needs to improve drastically

We need more options in the bowling department. In some important sessions, we may have given 20 to 30 extra runs. If we need to reduce that, we need more bowling options. We were totally dependent on some players. We need to improve our bench strength when it comes to the bowling unit. If we do that, we can turn things around.

On whether he could continue as the head coach

I have not spoken to the TNCA (Tamil Nadu Cricket Association) regarding that. I think that the association is looking for a coach from outside [Tamil Nadu].