Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Yere Goud concerned about 'group of death'

Bengaluru: Here we go again. Another season, another set of promises made by the coach, and maybe a couple of reasons to believe he could be onto something. But the overarching feeling you get when conversing with Yere Goud is that the upcoming Ranji Trophy season will be tough for Karnataka.

While he did drive home the point about the balance of youth and experience repeatedly as if that alone was going to solve Karnataka not winning the trophy for a decade, he sounded more convinced when referring to the positive attitude of the players. 

“Everybody in the team wants to win. That’s something everyone coming in or already in the squad is always aware of,” he told DH.

“Of course, we have a lot of players who are new to the senior set-up, but they are all people who have played at the age-group level for Karnataka and have that pride in them to push for the best result.”

The reason why Goud got into this space of defending his player and their priorities is because the topic of misplaced interests was brought up. 

For a while now, Karnataka players have seemed more determined to use the domestic season as a springboard to the Indian team rather than focus their energies on winning the domestic crown.

“I don’t think that is the case at all,” he continued. “When players come back to the state side, their focus is here. I don’t think anyone plays selfishly in this side.”

Goud’s self-consoling tone isn’t lost on the call, but he does allow himself more obvious vulnerability in admitting that players migrating out of the side for international commitments does cause an imbalance in the side. 

“Yeah, missing out on players like KL (Rahul) is hard, and we have so many players playing for India so that is challenging, but it’s also a good thing for us because that means opportunities for new players,” he said.

Speaking of challenges, Karnataka are in Group C alongside Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Naturally, Goud termed this the ‘group of death’. 

“I think even making it to the knockouts is a challenge in this day and age because all the teams are so good,” he said. “That’s not to say that’s enough, but it’s only to say that it’s hard. This group is a tough one and I am certain that every game will be a tough one for us.”

“I know that we have all the resources needed to go the distance, but we need to find that balance and approach the games with a desperate desire to win, not play passive cricket.”

Goud, who was replaced by PV Shashikant for two seasons before returning as the senior coach, surely has learnt a thing to two about attitude and aggression when away. Now to see if his learnings can translate to anything tangible from the team.