Australia trip was a proper pre-season camp, says Tamil Nadu pacer K Vignesh

Ever since making his debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2016-17 season, fast bowler Krishnamoorthy Vignesh has been their go-to bowler as he has taken 61 wickets in just 15 matches at an average of 21.86, numbers that are outstanding for a fast bowler in India.

Before the start of TNPL, where he is representing Lyca Kovai Kings, Vignesh, along with Kerala pacer Basil Thampi, flew to Australia as a part of MRF exchange program and trained under the watchful eyes of former Aussie cricketers Ryan Harris, Chris Rogers etc.

Now, he has been rewarded by the national selectors for his efforts as he was named in the India Green squad for the 2018 Duleep Trophy tournament that will get underway at the NPR College grounds in Dindigul from August 17.

Sportskeeda caught up with Vignesh after Kovai's first match in TNPL and this is what he had to say.

Q: How did your training in Australia go?

MRF sponsored our trip and sent us to Australia. It was a fantastic opportunity for both me and Basil Thampi. We enjoyed the facilities there and to work at the National Performance centre in Brisbane with someone like Ryan Harris, Troy Cooley, Chris Rogers etc. was really good. To go abroad and train is always fantastic and I loved bowling in Australia. The swing, the bounce and the conditions were suiting us. Overall, it was a great trip and we learnt a lot. It was like a proper pre-season camp for us. We also worked on a few technical aspects with M Senthilnathan sir as well.

Q: How different were the conditions in Australia from the ones we get in India?

Ya, the conditions are definitely different from the ones we have in India. It was a bit colder there and the set-up was nice. You have everything in one place, be it the recovery, gym, training area, nets etc. It was a different kind of experience to be there and even the wickets there assisted us a lot as it had good bounce and swing in it. Adding to these, bowling with the Kookaburra ball was also amazing. I also bowled with the pink ball and it was so good.

Q: What are the goals you have set for yourself this season?

I do have some particular targets for me. I am aiming to play Zonal cricket and Duleep Trophy etc. in the longer formats and IPL in the shorter formats. Yes, I missed out from playing in the IPL this year but I will keep trying and will look to play next year.

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