Dinesh Karthik gives five thumbs down to Tamil Nadu coach for throwing 'his captain under the bus' after Ranji defeat
Dinesh Karthik was not happy that Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni held his captain R Sai Kishore responsible for the team's defeat to Mumbai in Ranji semis.
Dinesh Karthik has blasted Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni for making captain Sai Sudarshan the scapegoat following the team's innings defeat against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semifinal. Kulkarni blamed Sai Kishore for opting to bat first after winning the toss on a green-looking BKC pitch, after which Tamil Nadu suffered a batting collapse and were eventually bowled out for 146. In reply, Shardul Thakur's blistering century took Mumbai to 378, handing them a sizeable 232-run lead; however, TN's reply in the second innings was no better as they were skittled for 162, losing the game by an innings and 70 runs.
As Mumbai reached a record-extending 48th Ranji final, Kulkarni held Sai Kishore responsible for the defeat. "We lost the match at nine o'clock on Day 1. We should have bowled but the captain had some different instincts. The moment I saw the wicket I exactly knew what we were going to get. Everything was set, we won the toss, as a coach, as a Mumbaikar, I know the conditions well. But I can only lead a horse to water, can't make it drink," he said.
The comments did not sit well with Karthik, who, being a Tamil Nadu cricketer himself, expressed his displeasure using five thumbs down emojis.
"This is so WRONG. This is so disappointing from the coach... instead of backing the captain who has brought the team to the semis after 7 years and thinking it's a start for good things to happen, the coach has absolutely thrown his captain and team under the bus," Karthik wrote on X.
After TN were all out cheaply in the first innings, Sai Kishore did his bit to restore parity with a six-wicket-haul to have Mumbai on the mat. But from 106/7, Thakur's second First-Class century and a resilient knock of 89 from Tanush Kotian stunned TN, who never recovered from the assault.
WV Raman comes out in support of Sai Kishore
Karthik wasn't the only one who came out in support of Sai Kishore, for whom Ranji Trophy 2023-24 was his first season captaining the senior Tamil Nadu team. Former India batter and head coach of the India women's cricket team WV Raman doffed his hat to the left-arm spinner for leading the team vehemently.
"Well tried @saik_99 and team. Has been a season of trials and tribulations. But importantly, you adopted the right approach. Like truth can hurt you at times, doing the right thing might be disappointing as well. But hang in there and march on," he wrote on X.
