Ranji Trophy 2018-19: TNCA announces 16-man squad for the tournament

Tamil Nadu have named a strong team for the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy, which includes capped players Murali Vijay, Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik. Vijay and Karthik were recently axed from the national Test side following their poor form with the bat. However, the former went on to score heavily for Essex in the County Championship. Meanwhile, the off-spinner Ashwin took part in the two-match Test series against the Windies and has been amongst the wickets once again.

The team, which will have Baba Indrajith at the helm, also includes young all-rounders Washington Sundar and Vijay Shankar, who’ve both played international cricket for India. Tamil Nadu also have medium-pacer S Abhishek Tanwar, who will be a new addition to their Ranji squad. The 27-year old enjoyed a good outing while playing for the Madurai Panthers in the third edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League.

However, TN have taken a hit in the pace department and they will be missing the services of left-arm T Natarajan and right-arm medium-pacer K Vignesh, who both sustained injuries recently and will hence be ruled out for a large portion of the tournament. M Mohammed, J Kousik, Tanwar and R Rohit will hence be forming their fast bowling unit this year.

A balanced team with ample experience

State selection panel chief S Sharath and captain Indrajith said it was a well-balanced team which was capable of doing well in the upcoming edition of the tournament. “It is a balanced team and we have all the bases covered. They will do well,” Sharath was quoted as saying to the Deccan Chronicle.

Skipper Indrajith added that the presence of Test stars Ashwin, Vijay and Dinesh Karthik will provide a lot of experience to the side. “Ashwin’s presence gives the team a boost and along with Rahil Shah and Washington Sundar, gives the spin department a strong look,” he said. Tamil Nadu will begin their campaign against Madhya Pradesh at Dindigul on November 1.

Tamil Nadu squad for Ranji Trophy 2018-19: B Indrajith (Captain), M Kaushik Gandhi, Abhinav Mukund, M Vijay, Vijay Shankar, B Aparajith, Dinesh Karthik, N Jagadeesan, M S Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, R Sai Kishore, Rahil S Shah, M Mohammed, J Kousik, R Rohit, S Abhishek Tanwar.

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