Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018: Vijay Shankar to Lead Tamil Nadu

India all-rounder Vijay Shankar will lead Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018 Elite Group ‘C’ League matches.

Chennai will host the matches from September 19 onwards. The side will miss the services of an experienced campaigner, Dinesh Karthik and in-form Murali Vijay.

Vijay Shankar to wear captain’s armband

Karthik will be on the nation duty, as he got named in India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2018. Murali Vijay, on the other hand, is currently playing for English County Club, Essex. Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin has not been named in the squad. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s Selection Committee announced the squad on Tuesday.

Pacer S Sharun Kumar is the new face in the team. He has been rewarded for his impressive performance in the VAP Trophy for teams in the TNCA League.

However, out of favor, Abhinav Mukund will once again be Tamil Nadu’s mainstay. He will have to bring his experience into play and win games for his state. The side will open their campaign against Gujarat on September 20.

Rahil Shah had a forgettable season last year. But he thinks the new season will be one to remember.

“After the TNPL ended this season, I wasn’t in great rhythm during the start of the VAP trophy. Malolan pointed out to me that my run-up was lacking energy. After that, I started running little faster in my run-up. It has helped me a lot in release and finish.”

He also said it gave him greater momentum and that has helped him finish the action smoothly. He added that he wishes to do well in all the three formats of the game.

Tamil Nadu’s squad

Vijay Shankar (captain), Abhinav Mukund, Baba Indrajith, Baba Aparajith, M Kaushik Gandhi, B Anirudh, N Jagadeesan (WK), M Shah Rukh Khan, Rahil Shah, Sai Kishore, C V Varun, M Mohammed, K Vignesh, T Natarajan, Sharun Kumar.