Ashwin, Vijay in Ranji squad

October 03, 2017 10:11 pm | Updated October 04, 2017 11:03 am IST

 M. Vijay and R. Ashwin share a light moment during a practice session at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

M. Vijay and R. Ashwin share a light moment during a practice session at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

The two will add considerable weight to Tamil Nadu in the early phase of the Ranji campaign. As the sun beat down, India stars R. Ashwin and M. Vijay sweated it out with the rest of the squad at Chepauk on Tuesday afternoon.

There was a distinct buzz about the practice session that also featured India opener Abhinav Mukund, named captain as and when he was available, by the State selectors.

The S. Sharath-headed panel, on Tuesday, picked B. Indrajith as vice-captain and announced the squad for the first two matches, against Andhra, from October 6, and Tripura, Oct. 14, both at the M.A. Chidambaram ground.

The Tripura game has been shifted from Agartala to Chennai. For the match against Tripura, left-handed batsman B. Anirudh Sitaram will come in for B. Aparajith. The latter will be featuring in the ‘A’ one-day series against New Zealand.

Interestingly, wicket-keeper batsman R. Rohith, who was not among the Ranji probables, has found a place in the squad.

Sources told this newspaper that Rohith had been roped in since the selectors wanted young stumper S. Lokeshwar to play in the under-23 match against Mumbai at Tirunelveli from October 8.

Rohith’s name, according to sources, was discussed even when the probables were picked. He had impressed many with his safe ’keeping and aggressive batting style.

Paceman V. Lakshman — he stands well over six feet — is another fresh face. The seamer, it appears, has caught the attention of the team-management with his lively pace and natural bounce.

Despite the presence of Ashwin and Washington Sundar, the wise men have picked another off-spinner in Malolan Rangarajan. And the squad included both left-arm spinners, Rahil Shah and R. Sai Kishore.

There are only three pacemen in the squad — spearhead K. Vignesh, L. Vignesh and Lakshman — but an additional paceman could come in for a spinner when the side plays away from home. M. Mohammad is a surprising omission since he can get the ball to reverse in dry conditions.

The absence of Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar — they will be turning up for India and India ‘A’ respectively — could be felt but the presence of all-rounders Ashwin and Washington lends the side depth. And both ‘keepers in the squad, N. Jagadeesan and R. Rohith can send the sphere a long way.

This side is not without balance.

The squad (against Andhra and Tripura): Abhinav Mukund (captain), B. Indrajith (vice-captain), M. Vijay, M. Kaushik Gandhi, N. Jagadeesan (wk), B. Aparajith, R. Ashwin, M.S. Washington Sundar, Rahil Shah, K. Vignesh, L. Vignesh, R. Sai Kishore, V. Lakshman, R. Rohith (wk), Malolan Rangarajan.

Anirudh Sitaram will come in for Aparajith against Tripura.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.