Tamil Nadu changed its coaches during the season after facing difficulties in the Ranji Trophy

Tamil Nadu changed its coaches during the season after facing difficulties in the Ranji Trophy

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) announced that M. Venkatramana will replace M. Senthilnathan as coach for the senior men’s team for the upcoming limited-overs competitions Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

After getting no wins in the first four rounds of the Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu have decided to restructure its coaching setup. Former India left-arm spinner M Venkataramana will take over as head coach for the white-ball formats, replacing M Senthilnathan. However, Senthilnathan will continue to lead the team for the remaining two Ranji matches in January, after the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Tamil Nadu are currently struggling in Group A, sitting just above Odisha and Nagaland. In the ongoing fifth-round match against Uttar Pradesh, they’re fighting hard for first-innings points despite scoring 455, thanks to a strong effort from Rinku Singh. TN have already suffered outright defeats to Jharkhand and Andhra, and conceded a lead to Vidarbha, the defending champions. Even if they win their last two games, a spot in the Ranji knockouts looks unlikely.

The coaching change came during the fifth-round match in Coimbatore, which might seem sudden, but talks of a shake-up had been brewing since TN’s fourth-round loss to Andhra. The TNCA held an emergency meeting in Chennai and announced late Tuesday night that they would adopt a split-coaching model for the rest of the 2025–26 season. It’s still unclear whether Senthilnathan will continue beyond the Ranji leg.

Venkataramana brings solid experience. He played one Test for India in 1989 and featured in 75 first-class matches for Tamil Nadu, taking 247 wickets with 12 five-wicket hauls. This marks TN’s third coaching change in two years. In 2023–24, Sulakshan Kulkarni was removed after internal issues, and L Balaji stepped in. Senthilnathan then replaced Balaji ahead of this season.

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu named Varun Chakravarthy as captain for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, marking his first leadership role. He was chosen ahead of experienced names like M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore, and N Jagadeesan.

TN face a tough challenge in the tournament, placed in a competitive group alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Saurashtra.