Madurai Super Giant coach Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and captain KB Arun Karthick addressed the media on Wednesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Excerpts:
Q: Last year was a forgettable year for you. How are you preparing for this year?
KB Arun Karthick (AK): A team finishes last in a tournament and last year it had to be us. Our preparations have been good this year; we have Vidyut (Sivaramakrishnan) as our coach and Santhosh Gopi as our assistant coach. The team’s atmosphere has been calm and we are focused to do really well this year.
Q: What does Vidyut bring to the table this year?
AK: Probably the calmness which we needed and something we lacked last year. He brings with him some experience as well since he has played a lot of Twenty20s – he has played for Chennai Super Kings, India A and Tamil Nadu. He has been coaching in Karnataka Premier League (KPL). He is a very calm person and knows what he wants from the players and he pushes the players as well.
Q: How easy or difficult is it to regroup with nine new changes?
AK: Last year it was a fresh tournament and we didn’t know much about local players to be honest. We didn’t know which under-19 to pick and lot of such things didn’t go our way. The atmosphere was also very tough last year. This year the support system has been good and lot of homework was done before the draft. We got almost all the players we wanted during the draft. We regrouped as a team much earlier than others and these are good positive signs going into the tournament.
Q: As a coach, what are the areas you are focusing on, in case things don’t go according to your expectations?
Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (VS): Just want to focus on doing the simple things well as that is very important in T20s. We have the resources to do well and I have complete faith in them. We need to play sensible cricket. You needn’t put too much pressure over yourself because T20s are won and lost when you play under pressure. For eg, MS Dhoni might be 12 off 25 balls but at the end of the day he hits 60 off 30 balls and wins the game for you. Everyone can’t be like him, but that’s what we want to do. Try to replicate that and keep a cool head. The start is important we are optimistic about how to go about this year. We have a good side and if we play to our strengths, we will be a force to reckon with.
Q: Do you think it would have been nice to have an earlier practice session?
VS: It would have been nice to get some more time. Lot of our first division players are seasoned campaigners and can adapt to this format well. We have lot of experience in the side, people like Arun Karthick, Shijit (Chandran), Suresh (Kumar), Shah Rukh Khan have been playing this format for a while and once they go out there, they will know what to do.
Q: How difficult will it be for the players to adapt to the T20 format?
VS: Adaptability is the key to play the sport. You play Test cricket and one week later you are playing a T20 game. It is not easy, white ball cricket is different from red ball cricket. But the good thing about this is we have a lot of experience. The top five-sixhave been playing T20s for a long time and I would like to see how the bowlers adapt to the game.
Q: Any particular players we need to look forward to, in this season?
VS: I have complete faith in all my 15 players. There will be 2-3 people who will stand out of the tournament but it is an early call. Arun Karthick is with us for the entire tournament, I am not putting pressure on him but he is batting extremely well. He is calm and composed as well. There is Suresh Kumar who is a fantastic player. I don’t want to name any particular players, it is about handling pressure and how you come about that day.
Q: Will we get to see people playing in Indian Premier League and Indian team, from the Madurai team?
AK: It can’t be said for sure. A good tournament has a mix of such players who have the potential to make it big. There will be players who will make it big from our team as well.
Q: Will the team be selected according to the pitches?
AK: It is essential to pick your team according to the pitch. But if the team is winning and high on confidence, we wouldn’t be required to change the team. We can keep the momentum going with the confidence.
Q: The core team is more or less set for the other teams, but for you there have been lot of changes. So how are you planning to unsettle the settled sides?
AK: We have nine new players this year, but they aren’t new to us. Few players have been playing a lot of first division cricket and we have seen them. They are all seasoned players like Senthilnathan; Poiyamozhi is a very good T20 cricketer. Putting together a team is not a big thing, but playing together as a team is important.
Q: What are the things that the juniors should learn from seniors?
AK: The juniors can learn a lot about work ethic, preparations for the game, what is needed for T20 and how to go about this format etc.
