Tamil Nadu has over the years produced a lot of star players who have also represented India on the international stage and have even performed well. The Tamil Nadu cricket team is a domestic cricket team that is run by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The team has been one of the most prominent forces in the white ball cricket in the domestic circuit.
The Tamil Nadu side has been successful in winning two titles along with one Deodhar Trophy win. But the major success which the team had was in Vijay Hazare where the team won five titles along with that the team has also won three Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies over the years. The team has also won one Irani Cup. Let’s now look at Tamil Nadu’s all-time playing XI;
Top Order
The top order is one of the crucial as well as important positions in the batting lineup. Therefore, someone like Krishnamachari Srikkanth would be an ideal option for the team as the dynamic opener brings in that flair of quick scoring in the opening slot which can demoralize any bowling unit. Apart from that, his batting partner will be Murali Vijay who was well known for his sheer brilliant technique along with rock-solid defense. Arguably, among the best top order batter that have hailed from Tamil Nadu is Abhinav Mukund. The prolific left-hand batter has scored more than 10000 runs in first-class cricket. Along with that Mukund also averages in the 50s in List A cricket.
Middle Order
At number 4, there can be no one but Subramaniam Badrinath, who had literally set the stage when it came to first-class cricket. The star right-hand batter had scored 10245 runs with an average of 54.49 with 32 hundreds to his name. At number 5, Sai Sudharshan makes his way into the team. Though his sample size is really small, the left-hand batter has certainly shown sheer glimpses of something great to come in the future. At number 6, Dinesh Karthik slots in very well in the role of wicketkeeper. The wicket batter has over the years been effective with the bat as well as Karthik has taken 387 catches and 45 stumpings which shows his quality to keep wickets.
All-rounders and Bowlers
In the number 7 spot, arguably one of the best all-rounders who have hailed from Tamil Nadu, Ravichandran Ashwin. Be with bat or with the ball, be it international cricket or domestic cricket, the spin wizard has proved his mettle, wherever he has played. In first-class cricket, the legendary player has scored more than 5000 runs and also scalped 731 wickets throughout his career. He will also be captaining the team. Another all-rounder who has handy with the bat, as well as bowling, is Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. At number 9, Washington Sundar can be a great option. Similar to Sudharsan, in his young career, Sundar has shown a lot of potential and is destined to have a great future ahead.
The number 10 slot would be Lakshmipathy Balaji, who was lethal with the ball in hand and proved his worth both in the International as well as domestic circuits. The speedster had taken 330 wickets in first-class cricket and it was fortunate the pacer did not have a prolonged international career. The number 11 slot will be racked up by T Natarajan. The pacer is still in the early days but his pinpoint Yorkers have certainly marked him as one for the future.
All-time Playing XI of Tamil Nadu:
Murali Vijay, K Srikant, Abhinav Mukund, Sai Sudharshan, Subramanium Badrinath, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Ravichandran Ashwin (C), Washington Sundar, Lakshmipati Balaji, T Natarajan