P. BalachandranKochi: P. Balachandran has been sacked as the coach of the Kerala Ranji Trophy team.
The former Ranji Trophy player was removed following the poor performance of the Kerala team this season.
However, the talk doing rounds is that the simmering differences with the team management was the reason behind the ouster of Balachandran as coach.
Former Test cricketer Tinu Yohannan, who is the bowling coach of the Kerala team, has been entrusted with the job of chief coach.
Balachandran was the chief coach of the Kerala Ranji team last season. The team under him reached the semifinal of the T20 tournament, but could not progress into the knock-out stage in the Ranji Trophy.
Differences between Balachandran and team management cropped up this season too. Balachandran was given the charge as the coach after resolving the issue. However, the team management has pointed out to Balachandran’s high handiness in taking decisions on team composition and playing tactics.
However, Balachandran says that he doesn’t think that the performance of the team was as bad as it is perceived to be this season. Twelve points from five matches is not a bad performance considering that Kerala has played against top sides like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana in the group, according to him.
Balachandran says that Kerala still have a chance to top the group after winning the remaining four matches. He said that all decisions were taken collectively.
