Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Vijay Shankar
Tamil Nadu has appointed Vijay Shankar as the captain of the side for Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.

Tamil Nadu have received another blow ahead of their must-win game against Andhra Pradesh, as Vijay Shankar, team’s captain has been ruled out of the contest.

Shankar suffered back spasms while batting against Mumbai, which will see him missing the tie against Andhra Pradesh, a report in Sportstar suggests.

Baba Aprajith, the team’s vice-captain, will lead the team in his absence while Malolan Rangarajan will walk in the playing XI, the report adds.

No R Ashwin –

Ravichandran Ashwin, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017-18, Tamil Nadu
(Credits: AP)

It is to be noted the team will be missing the services of R Ashwin during the contest. The newly tuned leg-spinner will not play the Sunday’s game.

He had already informed the TNCA authorities regarding his unavailability, and the team management knows the experienced player will not be part of the contest.

No Murali Vijay –

Murali Vijay, R Ashwin, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017-18,
Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Murali Vijay was dropped from the side a few days back after he failed to report on the morning of the match against Mumbai; thus, he is not a part of the team. The reports had suggested he was suffering from a shoulder pain, the reason why he didn’t turn up for the game.

The decision of Vijay though did not come good to selectors, and they did not give him a place in the team for the final three games of the league stage.

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Still, this fact can’t be denied the team will badly miss his services, along with that of Ashwin and captain, Vijay Shankar. The defending champion team is currently placed on the fifth place in the points table with just one win in four games.

They have to win this contest so as keep their chances of making it to the next round alive. Though, a win here or even in two successive wins will not guarantee them a place in the next round of the tournament.

Tamil Nadu have a stiff challenge ahead of them, as Andhra Pradesh had won all the three league tag games they have played till now. Talking of TN’s performance, they started the tournament with a great win over Gujarat by 76 runs. In the next contest, they were stunned by Goa.

They lost the third game against Mumbai, which was a low-scoring thriller while in the third game, Vijay Shankar-led side couldn’t defend a big total of 302 against Madhya Pradesh.

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