In an unusual turn of events, the coach of the Tamil Nadu cricket team, Sulakshan Kulkarni, publicly criticized his captain, R Sai Kishore, during the Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Mumbai. Kulkarni’s remarks, particularly questioning Kishore’s decision to bat first, sparked a significant backlash on social media platforms. Fans and even seasoned cricketer Dinesh Karthik expressed their dismay over Kulkarni’s actions.
Reacting to the controversy, Karthik took to social media to voice his disappointment, labeling Kulkarni’s behavior as “soo WRONG.” He emphasized the importance of backing the captain, who had led the team to the semi-finals after a gap of seven years, viewing it as a positive step for the team’s future. Karthik criticized the coach for seemingly undermining the captain’s authority and casting a shadow over the team’s morale.
“Instead of backing the captain who has brought the team to the semis after 7 yrs and thinking it’s a start for good things to happen, the coach has absolutely thrown his captain and team under the bus,” Karthik lamented in a post on social media. The incident has sparked debates within the cricketing community, raising questions about the dynamics between coaches and captains in professional cricket setups.
Kulkarni didn’t hesitate to hold his captain, Sai Kishore, accountable for the team’s loss in the semi-final, suggesting that Kishore’s decision to bat first contributed to the defeat.
I always speak candidly – we lost the match at 9 o’clock on day one,” Kulkarni remarked following Tamil Nadu’s defeat to Mumbai in the semi-final by an innings and 70 runs. “The moment I assessed the pitch, I knew what we were up against. Everything pointed towards a bowling-friendly pitch. We won the toss, and being a Mumbaikar, familiar with the conditions, I was confident we should have bowled first. However, the captain had a different intuition.
“After observing the conditions and considering Mumbai’s mindset, I realized early on that it would be a challenging match, given the seaming-friendly nature of the wicket,” Kulkarni added.
Ultimately, Sai Kishore is in charge. While I can provide my insights on pitch conditions and Mumbai’s strategy, the final decision rests with him.
Kulkarni expressed that Tamil Nadu faced a setback within the first hour of play, attributing it to Sai Sudharsan’s dismissal under trying circumstances.
We were mentally prepared for bowling first, expecting whoever won the toss to choose to bowl,” he explained. “The announcement that we would bat first, as televised, affected the mindset of our batsmen even before the game began. The first half-hour before play commenced played a crucial role in shaping the batsmen’s approach.
“When your international player gets out in the first over or early on, and you witness the situation unfolding, losing the game and momentum within the first hour becomes inevitable. It was an uphill battle to recover from that setback,” Kulkarni lamented, reflecting on the challenging circumstances Tamil Nadu faced early in the match.
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