Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has voiced his discontent with comments made by Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni following Tamil Nadu’s semi-final defeat to Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 on March 4 (Monday). Kulkarni suggested that Tamil Nadu lost the match right after the toss on Day 1, as captain R Sai Kishore chose to bat first in conditions favouring the bowlers.

Sulakshan Kulkarni minced no words and expressed his disappointment following their semi-final defeat, stating that they lost the match at 9 o’clock on Day One. He believed that despite winning the toss, the decision to bat instead of bowl, in conditions familiar to bowlers, played a crucial role in the outcome.

“I always speak straightforward — we lost the match at 9’o clock on Day One. Everything was set, we won the toss, as a coach, as a Mumbaikar, I know the conditions well. We should have bowled but the captain had some different instinct.” Sulakshan Kulkarni following Tamil Nadu’s semi-final defeat

‘Coach Has Thrown His Captain Under The Bus’ Says Dinesh Karthik

In response to Kulkarni’s remarks on Tamil Nadu’s significant loss, Dinesh Karthik took to his social media handle and shared his thoughts stating, “This is soo (sic) WRONG. This is so disappointing from the coach ..instead of backing the captain who has brought the team to the semis after 7 yrs and thinking it’s a start for good things to happen, the coach has absolutely thrown his captain and team under the bus.”

This is soo WRONG

This is so disappointing from the coach ..instead of backing the captain who has brought the team to the semis after 7 yrs and thinking it’s a start for good things to happen, the coach has absolutely thrown his captain and team under the bus

👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽 https://t.co/Ii61X7Ajqs

— DK (@DineshKarthik) March 5, 2024

In the second semifinal of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Ground in Mumbai, Mumbai secured victory over Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Tamil Nadu faced early struggles and were dismissed for 146 on the opening day. Despite a resilient effort with the ball, Mumbai mounted a strong recovery, posting a big total of 378 and establishing a commanding lead. In their second innings, Tamil Nadu were subsequently bowled out for 162.