On demanding surfaces, TN’s batsmen leave technique and heart behind.

When the surface is demanding, the Tamil Nadu batsmen appear to leave their technique and heart in the dressing room. Their lack of fight in the middle is appalling.
Getting bundled out for 68 and 69 in the disastrous Ranji Trophy game against Punjab is surely the lowest point in Tamil Nadu’s batting for a long time. Where has the pride gone?
Now the State side’s Ranji Trophy journey this season has reached an early conclusion. Last year’s finalist will not make the knock-out stage this season.
While Tamil Nadu’s prospects were hurt by two severely rain-affected home games, against Andhra and Gujarat, the team was also undone by a bizarre collapse in Mumbai when on top. Having grabbed a 140-run lead, Tamil Nadu was skittled out for 95 in the second innings to let the host back into the contest. Mumbai eventually won a humdinger. This setback came back to bite Tamil Nadu later in the season.
Champion teams drive home the advantage but Tamil Nadu, fatally, loosened its grip.
In fact, Tamil Nadu capitulated for 125 and 155 on a pitch offering turn against Baroda at Chepauk but the spinners enabled the host squeeze home.
This takes us to a bigger question. Is preparing turners justifiable?
The simple answer is ‘no’. The ploy hurts development of cricketers, lacks long-term perspective. Tamil Nadu, though, cannot be blamed alone when across the country, both in Test and Ranji games, such tracks are being prepared.
The point is, even if spinner-friendly pitches are made, a side should have the batting prowess to ride over the conditions.
But then, crucial elements of batting on turners such as footwork, soft hands, using the depth of the crease, belief and judicious aggression were absent from the Tamil Nadu batsmen for most part.
Tamil Nadu was let down by senior batsmen. Skipper Abhinav Mukund made just 182 runs in seven matches at 18.20. R. Prasanna got only 172 runs from seven games at 19.11.
Dinesh Karthik did better with 355 runs in eight games at 32.27 but 167 of these came from a single innings against Mumbai. Consistency was elusive.
Twins B. Aparajith and Indrajith showed glimpses of ability without going on to bigger things. Aparajith should bat No. 3, his natural slot and not open. The spinners were predictably rewarded. Rahil Shah and Malolan Rangarajan scalped 25 batsmen each and D.T. Chandrasekar 18.
Lively pace-bowling all-rounder J. Kousik, with 284 runs and 12 wickets on debut season, is the brightest prospect from the State. Malolan (314 runs) has the potential too to develop into an all-rounder.
Sadly, the pacemen were out of the equation for most games. When they got an opportunity against Railways in Delhi, Aswin Crist bowled the side to an eight-wicket win.