The suspense is over. Abhinav Mukund will lead Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Ranji season.
The Hindu has learnt from reliable sources that the left-handed opener will captain the State side for the third year in succession. Ahead of the decision made by the selectors, there was some speculation about who would lead the side after Tamil Nadu had a forgettable last season.
The State selectors had postponed the naming of the captain even after the pre-season camp for probables got underway at Dehradun on September 26.
There were other contenders in the fray. B. Indrajith was in the race but a fitness concern that restricted his throwing ability hurt his chances. Finally, it was between Abhinav and B. Aparajith.
Ahead of making the call, the selectors had waited for feedback from new team coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar who had one-on-one interactions with all the members of the squad to get their views.
Eventually, former India opener Abhinav’s experience, stature in the side, willingness to shoulder responsibility and the fact that he is still only 26 swung things his way.
Abhinav, who led Tamil Nadu to the Ranji final a couple of seasons back, has 7,672 runs in 109 First Class games at 46.56.
It was also learnt that promising all-rounder Vijay Shankar will not be available for the first few matches as he is recovering from a knee surgery. Tamil Nadu begins its campaign against Mumbai at Lahli from October 6.
