Ashwin, Vijay in TN Ranji Trophy squad

There were speculations that young Vijay Shankar could lead the team, but the selectors decided to continue with Abhinav Mukund.

Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin's inclusion will boost Tamil Nadu's chances against Andhra.

Out of the Indian side for the Australia limited-overs series, Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay have been included in the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy side for its tournament opener against Andhra Pradesh. While the two India internationals have been named in the side, Abhinav Mukund will lead the team when it takes the field at the Chepauk Stadium on Friday.

There were speculations that young Vijay Shankar could lead the team, but with the young batsman busy with the Board President’s XI game against New Zealand the selectors decided to continue with Mukund. Despite the presence of seniors, young gun Baba Indrajith has been named the vice-captain of the side.

The team also has aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman N. Jagadeesan and another stumper, R. Rohith, who impressed in the recent Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). T. Natarajan and Aswin Crist, who missed out due to fitness issues, would leave the onus back on K. Vignesh, who did well in his debut season with 30-plus wickets as Tamil Nadu made the semifinals. He will be assisted by L. Vignesh and V. Lakshman.

Both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will start practising on Wednesday morning at the Chepauk, which is likely to offer a spin-friendly track.

Squad

Abhinav Mukund (captain), B. Indrajith, M. Vijay, M. Kaushik Gandhi, N. Jagadeesan (wicket-keeper) B. Aparajith, M. S. Washington Sundar, Rahil S. Shah, K. Vignesh, R. Ashwin, L. Vignesh, R. Sai Kishore, V. Lakshman, R. Rohith (wicket-keeper), Malolan Rangarajan.