Abhinav Mukund retained as Tamil Nadu captain

Tamil Nadu selectors have announced the squad for the upcoming Ranji season. Left-handed opener Abhinav Mukund was retained as Tamil Nadu skipper while Baba Aparajith was named as the vice-captain. Rookies like Washington Sundar, N Jagadeesan, and T Natarajan were also rewarded for their consistency and were included in the 16-man squad.

“Both Abhinav and Aparajith are high-quality players who have shown great leadership skills in the past and it was a tough call,” added the selector.

“The selectors did discuss the names of L Vignesh and Ganga Sridhar Raju, but they eventually missed out. We have chosen players who have shown promise, consistency and performed whenever given the opportunities. It’s a well-rounded unit, we have covered all bases and it’s up to the players to deliver the results,” mentioned one of the selectors.

Tamil Nadu opens their Ranji campaign against Mumbai at Lahli from October 6. The batting line-up comprises Mukund, Kaushik Gandhi, Aparajith, Indrajith, Dinesh Karthik while the bowling line-up has spinners Rahil S Shah, Malolan Rangarajan and R Aushik Srinivas, along with pacers Aswin Crist, M Mohammed, and K Vignesh.

All-rounder Vijay Shankar was not named in the squad as he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained two months ago.

“Vijay Shankar will walk into the playing XI once he is declared fit,” said the selector.

Abhinav is looking to make this opportunity count. “We have to look at the positives (of the last season), learn from the mistakes and move forward,” Abhinav said.

Analyzing the previous season, he said, “We got stuck a little bit on turners (at home) and lost a game against Punjab in Dindigul. Also, a couple of our home games were rained off. But, we did very well in the away matches against teams like UP and Mumbai. I feel this unit does look good to perform in all conditions.”

Former skipper R Prasanna’s absence means the middle-order could be tested. “Prasanna brought solidity to the middle-order and was someone we used to bank on. However, it’s a decision the TNCA has taken to move forward and a lot of youngsters have been brought in. It’s important for us to give them a good run in the team,” said Abhinav.

L Balaji will be joining the squad as the assistant coach in the coming days.

Tamil Nadu Squad: Abhinav Mukund (C), B Aparajith (WK), B Indrajith, MS Washington Sundar, N Jagadeesan, Dinesh Karthik (WK), J Kousik, L Suryaprakash, Rahil S Shah, Malolan Rangarajan, R Kaushik Srinivas, A Aswin Crist, M Mohammed, K Vignesh, T Natarajan, M Kaushik Gandhi