Raman appointed Tamil Nadu coach

WV Raman, the former Indian opening batsman, has been appointed as the new coach of the Tamil Nadu side. He takes over from Bharat Arun, the former Indian medium-pacer who guided the side for the last few seasons.

Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs for India, between 1988 and 1997, had no qualms in admitting that his main priority would be to translate Tamil Nadu's potential into performance. Despite being touted as a team with tremendous talent, Tamil Nadu have managed to win the Ranji Trophy just twice in the tournament's history.

They came close twice recently, entering finals in 2003 and 2004, but were thwarted by Mumbai on both ocassions. In the last two seasons, though, they haven't even managed to reach the knock-out stage.

Raman, who was part of the Tamil Nadu side that won the Ranji Trophy in 1987-88 as well as the runners-up in the 1995-96 season, spoke about plans for the pre-season Ranji camp set to begin from October first week.