Sai Kishore receives support from TN cricketing fraternity amid coach’s remarks

CHENNAI: Incensed by head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni’s sharp comments openly blaming captain Sai Kishore for Tamil Nadu crashing out of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Mumbai, former State players flayed him for throwing Kishore and the team ‘under the bus’.

In his post-match address to the media, Kulkarni said Tamil Nadu lost the match in the first hour of the first day. “With the kind of pitch they had given to us, everybody knew we should have bowled first. But the captain had some different instinct and ultimately, he is the boss. I can take the horse to the water, but the horse has to drink,” he said.

While the decision to bat first on a green top, that too at Mumbai’s home ground, did surprise many, the manner in which the coach criticised the captain – who incidentally was among the best performers not just for Tamil Nadu, but in the whole tournament – surprised many.

“This is so wrong and disappointing from the coach. Instead of backing the captain who has brought the team to the semis after seven years and thinking it’s a start for good things to happen, the coach has absolutely thrown his captain and team under the bus,” said former India player Dinesh Karthik, who has captained the State team.

Commenting on the matter, another TN great Hemang Badani, who was part of the team that reached two consecutive finals (2002-03, 2003-04), said, “Whatever happens in a team environment stays there and you don’t set the captain on fire and go public about this. Good coaches don’t do that.”

The sharpest criticism came from former India captain K Srikkanth, who minced no words while lashing out at Kulkarni. In a video posted on his official YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’, he said, “It’s absolutely unfair to talk about something like this to the media after a loss. You have to accept the loss gracefully and go, but don’t blame anybody,” said Srikkanth.

Hinting a demand for ousting the coach – but without stating that in so many words – Srikkanth added that there were a lot of players in the State who could be appointed as coach. “There are a lot of good coaches in our State who can take this side to greater heights,” he said, adding that it would also help bridge the communication gap between the players and the coach.

For the record, Sai Kishore led the team to Ranji Trophy semi-finals after seven years with a spectacular show with the ball, taking 52 wickets with an average of 18.52. He became the third Tamil Nadu bowler to bag more than 50 wickets in a single Ranji season.