Albert TuTi Patriots mentor Monty Desai and Captain Anand Subramanian addressed the media ahead of the inaugural match of the India Cements Ltd TNPL 2017. The defending champions will face Dindigul Dragons in the season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday.
Will your team miss having Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund in the squad?
Subramanian: True, it is difficult to fill in the shoes of Dinesh and Abhi. Then again, we have done our homework during the off-season and we are quite prepared for the new season.
Explain the rationale behind sticking to the same team as last year.
Desai: Frankly, we were unsure about whether we would have them both for this part of the tournament. You have to give credit to the whole team who stuck together as a family. We had three games in a row where we didn’t get the desired results but everyone stuck together and we need to back them for that. We had the whole team together and we didn’t want to make any changes there.
How difficult is to maintain the momentum going into the new season?
Desai: It is very easy as it’s a fresh start for everyone. We have had a 10-month gap since the last tournament; everyone is starting from the first point. It will come down to how well all the teams have prepared. We have done our homework and it comes down to the basics. We have to make sure that our routines are right, one thing we did right last year was being consistent in our approach and that is what we want to do again.
Is there one area you have tried to improve from last year?
Subramanian: Bulk of the role was taken by the experienced pros and now it is a chance for the youngsters to come to the front; that is something that we are looking at.
Will Balaji be playing in this edition of the the TNPL?
Desai: Bala bhai has taken up a different role. He has been very open and approached us in a different way. He has been helping us to prepare but I don’t think he will feature in the side this season.
Have you requested for any replacements?
Desai: We are looking at a process and what the rules permit. The local tournament just finished three days ago and straight away we are going to the main tournament so the time frame was important to get it right. The management is looking at that very proactively.
You are coming back after a long break, how does it feel to be back in the TNPL?
Desai: Eyes were always live. You had the opportunity of watching the games on the internet, so the eyes were live. One of the take-aways for all of us from last to this year, we have to feel so proud of the success that the TNPL has brought – starting from the broadcasters Star Sports, the local management out here to the association. The progress has not only been to the IPL but the State team doing so well last year in the domestics. Talk about Kaushik Gandhi, the way he has taken his confidence into the whole season. That is what we are looking for.
How did you choose the captain for your side?
Desai: We also said that we are believing in and building leaders, so we respect the leader. A young leader like Kaushik Gandhi himself who wanted to take a lead role and take the bulk of the responsibility and was given the chance last year. At the same time we have seen how Anand has stepped up for us in a lot of other areas.
