After months of deliberation, former Tamil Nadu and India under-19 cricketer V. Yo Mahesh has been appointed as the head coach of the Tamil Nadu senior men’s team for the 2026-27 season.

He is the fifth person in as many years to be put in charge of the senior team. The all-rounder has a tough task ahead of him after the team failed to progress to the knockouts in any of the three premier domestic tournaments last year. 

Last year, he was at the helm of the TN under-19 team, guiding the side to the semifinals, where it fell just two runs short against Madhya Pradesh.

At 38, he is one of the youngest to be given the top job, and the former player feels that his familiarity with some of the senior players will help him get the best out of them.

“We need to start building a culture with the Tamil Nadu senior team where players are made to feel secure, and there has to be proper role definition,” said Yo Mahesh.

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The fast bowling all-rounder also highlighted that building a pool of fast bowlers will be a key focus area for him, but insisted they need to be given good pitches to develop.

Even though the senior team has struggled, TN has won titles in the Under-19 and Under-23 levels in the last two years, and Yo Mahesh felt nurturing the talent coming through was vital.

Commenting on the changes needed, he called for a shift in attitude to keep pace with the demands of modern-day cricket.

“Our attitude cannot be soft anymore, and we must be ready to turn up for a fight. It is important to make the players realise cricket is being played in a certain way. We are highly talented and skilled, but maybe we should try this direction. It is not going to happen overnight, but getting them to buy into that is where I come in, and that is my challenge,” said Yo Mahesh.

Published on Jun 24, 2026