Is Sai Sudharsan the Key Addition to TN Squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sai Sudharsan joins the Tamil Nadu squad for SMAT.
- His past IPL performances provide optimism for the team.
- Tamil Nadu aims to bounce back after a slow start.
- The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy features emerging teams competing for recognition.
- Sudharsan's inclusion is crucial for the inexperienced batting lineup.
Chennai, Nov 26 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has officially included Sai Sudharsan in the senior team for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) in Ahmedabad, providing a crucial lift to the squad after a challenging start to the season.
After managing scores of 15 and 14 in a tough debut series that concluded with a 408-run defeat, the 24-year-old, who participated in India's recent Test loss in Guwahati that finalized a 0-2 series defeat against South Africa, is set to return to domestic T20 cricket.
Sudharsan's 14 off 139 balls in the current second Test at Guwahati is notable as it stands as India's second-slowest Test innings involving at least 100 balls, only behind Yashpal Sharma's 13 off 157 against Australia in 1981.
His arrival is expected to strengthen an inexperienced batting lineup that seeks momentum after Tamil Nadu's six-wicket loss to Rajasthan on Wednesday, marking the beginning of their Group D campaign.
Ahmedabad holds significance for the left-handed batsman, as it is where he built his T20 credentials with the Gujarat Titans, where he excelled as an opening batsman. In the IPL 2025, Sudharsan scored 759 runs from 15 matches at an impressive strike rate of 156.17, earning the Orange Cap. Tamil Nadu hopes he can replicate this form in their SMAT endeavor.
The national T20 championship features six emerging teams, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur, all vying for plate division honors and a chance for promotion to the elite tier. The plate division of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy runs concurrently with the 32-team elite competition. Mizoram is set to face Nagaland in the opening match of the plate division in Pune.
Final Tamil Nadu squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
Varun Chakravarthy (capt), Narayan Jagadeesan (vice-capt, wk), Tushar Raheja (wk), VP Amit Sathvik, M. Shahrukh Khan, Andre Siddarth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Shivam Singh, R Sai Kishore, M Siddharth, T Natarajan, Gurjapneet Singh, A Esakkimuthu, R Sonu Yadav, R Silambarasan, S Rithik Easwaran (wk), Sai Sudharsan