- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Young seam attack impresses Abhinav
- Updated: December 25, 2016
Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund, who was ill, slept through most parts of Saturday, and then woke up to watch his team trample Karnataka in two days. Last December, it was Tamil Nadu who were at the wrong end of a two-day finish and crashed out of the Ranji Trophy. They have turned the tables dramatically this season by becoming the first team to secure a spot in the semi-final.
Former Tamil Nadu captain S Badrinath had said last year that wilting under pressure held the side back. The mental make-up of the team seems to have changed for the better in 2016-17 under the guidance of Abhinav and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the first player from outside the state to be appointed Tamil Nadu coach.
They were without R Ashwin and M Vijay, who were both injured, for the quarter-final against a full-strength Karnataka team that had seven players with international experience. Tamil Nadu, though, stepped up under pressure and beat Karnataka for the first time since the 2003-04 season. This was also Tamil Nadu’s first win over Karnataka in a knockout clash in the Ranji Trophy in three attempts.
“We have never really focussed on who the opponent is,” Abhinav said. “That is the good thing about this team. It is lack of knowledge or people don’t bother about their opponents and continue doing their own things.”
Abhinav took pride in mentoring and shaping a young seam bowling attack, which has adapted impressively to neutral venues. K Vignesh, T Natarajan and Aswin Crist have picked up 94 wickets between them. They were so relentless in …
