Sai Kishore targets Ranji Trophy after Gloucestershire stint

Sai Kishore, fresh from a County spell with Gloucestershire in England, told The Hindu in Chennai on October 6, 2026 that he intends to lead Tamil Nadu to the Ranji Trophy as captain.

The 29-year-old Tamil Nadu red-ball skipper returned from Gloucestershire having taken 22 wickets in six games and said the experience, including dismissing England’s Ben Stokes — who he described as being bamboozled and castled ‘through the gate’ — strengthened his belief. He played at a variety of venues on that stint, for the first time at Old Trafford, and said performing on greenish pitches boosted his confidence in his skill. Sai Kishore spoke to the paper before leaving for the Ranji Trophy campaign.

“Playing in foreign conditions was a good opportunity to test myself. I played at different grounds and, for the first time, at Old Trafford. You watch these grounds on TV and do your research, but it is different when you actually play there,” said Sai Kishore.

Yo Mahesh has taken over as Tamil Nadu head coach this season and will work with Sai Kishore; on that pairing Sai Kishore said, “I’ve played with Yomi, so that relationship helps... together we should just take it forward.”

On the responsibilities of captaincy, Sai Kishore said: “It’s a great honour, privilege, pleasure and responsibility to captain Tamil Nadu. I’m very grateful for what I’ve got. “We will give our everything. The fire is very important. The desire to win is important. This is a young side and with that comes fresh energy and enthusiasm,” he said.

Regarding the team’s objective, Sai Kishore added, “If there is one goal, it is the trophy. We need a collective approach, and that will be the team’s philosophy”.

Sai Kishore left for Jaipur as Tamil Nadu prepare to open their Ranji Trophy campaign against Rajasthan on October 11.