Tagenarine Chanderpaul says his father pushes him to improve after Super Kings Academy stint

Tagenarine Chanderpaul told The Hindu in Chennai on October 25, 2026 that his father, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, keeps pushing him to become a better player, and the West Indies opener has recently spent time at the Super Kings Academy. He spoke about the pressure of his family name and his efforts to develop after four years with the Men in Maroon.

Every time Tagenarine Chanderpaul walks to the crease he faces comparisons with his father, Shivnarine, a figure frequently mentioned by fans, and he acknowledged those expectations in the interview. Four years into his international career with the Men in Maroon, he said he had begun to accept the comparisons and was focused on forging his own path. “Wherever I go, people expect me to perform as good as him. But I cannot be him, I can only be myself,” the 30-year-old told The Hindu recently. “He was a great player, but I just try to be myself. As an individual, I do the best I can.”

Tagenarine described his father’s role as both mentor and motivator, saying Shivnarine shares knowledge from his playing career and applies a competitive approach to helping him improve. “He shares his knowledge and experience to make me a better player. He is a very competitive and serious guy. He keeps pushing me to get better,” the southpaw said.

On his own form, Tagenarine pointed to specific targets in the long format, noting his return of one century and two half-centuries in 15 long-format matches for a total of 758 runs. He identified a need for greater consistency and the ability to turn starts into substantial scores. “I need to be more consistent, convert starts into big scores. Sometimes, you get comfortable in the middle and get out. But Test cricket is tough... there is no time to relax,” the top-order batter added.

His recent stint at the Super Kings Academy, where he trained alongside West Indies red-ball teammates, was presented as a possible platform for improvement. Tagenarine said he believed in hard work and expects to benefit from the time spent at the academy. “I always believe in putting in the work, so hopefully I can reap the rewards of it”.

Tagenarine’s comments link his ongoing development to the combination of his father’s guidance and the training he has undertaken; he expressed hope that sustained effort and the academy experience will translate into better returns on the field. The player’s immediate focus, as he stated, is to convert practice into runs and greater consistency in Tests.