Tamil Nadu hardly tasted success in any format.
| Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
Tamil Nadu cricket is at a crossroads. In the 2025-26 domestic season, the team hit rock bottom, failing to qualify for the knockouts in all three competitions (Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy). While these are worrying signs, the bigger concern is that the side was never truly in contention at any stage of the season.
That TN’s Ranji Trophy hopes were dashed after just four games underlined how poor the campaign was.
The key to success in the prestigious red-ball tournament is having a good pool of fast bowlers capable of helping the side take 20 wickets consistently. Unfortunately for TN, the pace attack failed to deliver. Only left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh showed promise in the three games he played, but he lacked adequate support. Even the spinners — traditionally TN’s strength — were unable to make an overall impact.
On the batting front, the recurring struggles against disciplined medium-pacers proved costly. One reason behind the below-par show is that batters have grown up on an unhealthy diet of spin in the first-division league and appear technically inadequate against the moving ball. While this is a structural issue that the State association must address through better pitches at the grassroots level, the batters should also take responsibility and improve.
While TN has regularly underachieved in the Ranji Trophy, the side was once a force in limited-overs cricket. However, the team has been left behind in those formats in recent years and needs to embrace a fearless approach rather than persisting with outdated methods.
Selection of players was another issue that plagued the team, especially in the white-ball leg. For instance, during the T20 competition, two players who were initially selected were sent back without playing, reflecting confused decision-making.
When it comes to coaching appointments, the TNCA needs a long-term vision. Strong domestic sides like Mumbai, Vidarbha, and Madhya Pradesh have offered their coaches longer tenures and benefited from stability.
But in TN’s case, M. Senthilnathan was the fourth different coach in as many years. The management even tried a split-coaching set-up by drafting in M. Venkataramana for the limited-overs leg, with little success. The need of the hour is a thorough review of what went wrong and a clear roadmap for sustained success and not short-term fixes.
Published – February 02, 2026 11:22 pm IST
