Tamil Nadu name star-studded squad for first two Ranji Trophy matches

After the heartbreaks in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Tamil Nadu will be eyeing to go all the way in the upcoming Ranji Trophy. They made it to the final of both the limited-overs competition but ended up losing in the title-decider to Karnataka on both the occasions. Just a couple of days ago, they lost the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final by just 1 run while chasing 180.

But their performance in both the competition will be a big confidence booster and the players will be keen to make the most of the momentum. The two-time Ranji Trophy winners have not won the prestigious first-class tournament sine 1987-88 season. But with the momentum on their side this season, they will be fancying their chances.

Vijay Shankar will lead the side

Tamil Nadu Cricket Association have named a strong star-studded side for the first two matches of the competition which starts on December 9. Out-of-favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar will lead the team. Interestingly, Tamil Nadu will take on Karnataka in their tournament-opener before locking horns against Himachal Pradesh. They will have a chance to avenge their recent losses against Karnataka.’

Along with Shankar, the team also features spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay. While Ashwin is a regular in India’s Test team, Vijay lost his place last year after a string of poor performances. The opener will be desperate to hit the ground running in the soon-to-start season. Ashwin, on the other hand, will also be looking to be among wickets.

With India’s next Test assignment in February, Ashwin has enough time to play for Tamil Nadu and get some match practice. Another India allrounder Washington Sundar will also join the team for the second match. He will replace K Mukunth in the squad. Baba Aparajith will be Shankar’s deputy in the first two games.

Tamil Nadu squad:

Vijay Shankar (Captain), B Aparajith (Vice-Captain), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, K Dinesh Karthik, N Jagadeesan, R Ashwin, R Sai Kishore, T Natarajan, K Vignesh, Abhishek Tanwar, M Ashwin, M Siddharth, Shahrukh Khan, K Mukunth.