Ranji Trophy 2019-20: Baba Indrajith returns as Tamil Nadu announce squad for matches against Mumbai and Railways
What's the story?
Former Tamil Nadu skipper, Baba Indrajith will join the team ahead of their fifth-round match of Ranji Trophy 2019-20 against Mumbai. Indrajith had not been cleared to play in the first 4 matches because of his fitness issues but the right-handed batsman will make his comeback versus Mumbai on 11th January.
Also see – BPL Schedule
The background
Tamil Nadu have not won a single match in this year's Ranji Trophy. The Vijay Shankar-led team had lost its first two games by close margins. Karnataka had defeated them by 26 runs in Dindigul while Himachal Pradesh beat them by 71 runs at the same venue. Tamil Nadu opened their account in the third match by pulling off a draw against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. However, the visitors could not take the first innings lead.
In their last match against Uttar Pradesh, fast bowler T Natarajan's heroics helped them secure a minor first innings lead of 5 runs. Thus, Tamil Nadu have scored only 4 points in their first four fixtures.
The heart of the matter
TNCA made the return of Baba Indrajith official with the aforementioned tweet. Talking to TOI on Thursday (9th January), a senior TNCA member said:
"The selectors went ahead to name a squad without Indrajith since they didn't get a clearer picture of his fitness. But it was all cleared on Thursday and Indrajith has now been included. His presence will be very crucial in the team's middle-order."
He further disclosed that Pradosh Ranjan Paul might be released to play for the state in the U-23 Col. CK Nayudu Trophy match versus Delhi.
Tamil Nadu's squad for matches against Mumbai and Railways: Vijay Shankar (C), Abhinav Mukund, Ganga Sridhar Raju, Suryap Prakash, Kaushik Gandhi, B. Aparajith, Dinesh Karthik, R. Ashwin, R. Sai Kishore, M. Siddharth, T. Natarajan, N. Jagadeesan, K. Vignesh, K. Mukunth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul
What's next?
It will be intriguing to see if Baba Indrajith's inclusion can change Tamil Nadu's fortunes. The 25-year-old has played 50 first-class matches in his career and hence, he will bring a good amount of experience to the squad.