Dinesh Karthik to lead TN in Syed Mushtaq Ali 20/20 tourney

Dinesh Karthik to lead TN in Syed Mushtaq Ali 20/20 tourney Chennai,Oct 29 (PTI): Wicket-keeper-batsman K Dinesh Karthik was on Tuesday named to lead Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty/20 cricket tournament to be held at Thiruvananthapuram from November 8 to 17. All-rounder Vijay Shankar will be his deputy, a press release from Tamil Nadu Cricket Association said The team includes international cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay and M S Washington Sundar, who will join the squad after the conclusion of the India-Bangladesh T20 series.

Fast bowler G Periyaswamy, who impressed in this year's Tamil Nadu Premier League for Chepauk Super Gillies, is the only new face in the squad. The paceman with a slingy action similar to Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga has overcome vision issues in his right eye, shone in the TNPL and has been rated highly.

The Tamil Nadu team had finished runner-up in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs) tournament recently, losing in the final to Karnataka. The Dinesh Karthik-led side had won all 9 nine matches in group C before overcoming Punjab (via rain rule) and Gujarat in the quarterfinals and semifinal.

Players including Karthik, Baba Aparajith, Abhinav Mukund, M Shahruk Khan and bowlers T Natarajan, K Vignesh, M Mohammed, and M Ashwin had performed well in the tournament. Left-handed opener Abhinav Mukund, who had a good run in the Hazare Trophy, however, doesn't find a place in the team for the T20 tournament.

Squad: K Dinesh Karthik (captain), Vijay Shankar (vice-captain), M Vijay, N Jagadeesan, C Hari Nishaanth, B Aparajith,M Shahrukh Khan, R Ashwin, M Ashwin, R Sai Kishore, T Natarajan,G Periyaswamy, K Vignesh, M Mohammed, J Kousik. Washington Sundar will join the team after the completion of the Twenty/20 series against Bangladesh.