India batter Sai Sudharsan has been added to the senior squad of Tamil Nadu for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) in Ahmedabad, a decision made by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Wednesday. This move is seen as a significant boost for the team after a challenging start to the season.
Sudharsan, 24, returns to domestic T20 action after a rough debut series in which he scored 15 and 14 runs, culminating in a 408-run loss. His recent stint with the national team included a disappointing performance in a Test match in Guwahati, which resulted in a 0-2 series defeat against South Africa. Notably, Sudharsan recorded just 14 runs off 139 balls during this match, making it one of the slower innings in Indian Test history among knocks involving at least 100 balls.
His inclusion is expected to strengthen an inexperienced batting line-up that is in search of early momentum following a six-wicket loss to Rajasthan in their Group D opener. Sudharsan has showcased his talent in Ahmedabad before, having built his T20 reputation as an outstanding opener for the Gujarat Titans, where he scored 759 runs in 15 matches during IPL 2025 and earned the prestigious Orange Cap.
As Tamil Nadu aims to regain form in this tournament, they will compete against six emerging teams in the national T20 championship, namely Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur. These teams will vie for glory in the plate division while aspiring for promotion to the elite category. The plate leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy runs concurrently with the elite competition featuring 32 teams. Mizoram is set to face Nagaland in the opening match of the plate division in Pune.
The final Tamil Nadu squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy includes Varun Chakravarthy (captain), Narayan Jagadeesan (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Tushar Raheja (wicketkeeper), VP Amit Sathvik, M. Shahrukh Khan, Andre Siddarth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Shivam Singh, R Sai Kishore, M Siddharth, T Natarajan, Gurjapneet Singh, A Esakkimuthu, R Sonu Yadav, R Silambarasan, and S Rithik Easwaran (wicketkeeper), alongside Sai Sudharsan.
Original Source: https://www.india.com/sports/sai-sudharsan-named-in-tamil-nadu-squad-for-2025-26-smat-campaign-8202495/
Category: Sports,Latest Cricket News,Sai Sudharsan,Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,Tamil Nadu,Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
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Publish Date: 2025-11-27 02:21:00
