Indian top-order batter Sai Sudharsan has been added to the Tamil Nadu squad for the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, hours after suffering the 2-0 home Test series whitewash to South Africa.
Sudharsan, who plays for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, will be available for selection from the third round, starting on November 30. The three-time winners will play against Uttarakhand that day.
“The state senior selection committee of TNCA has added Sai Sudharsan to the squad to participate in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 matches being held in Ahmedabad,” said U Bhagwan Das, TNCA secretary, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Tamil Nadu started their campaign on Wednesday, losing to Rajasthan by six wickets. Amith Sathvik and Tushar Raheja opened
the innings but managed only 21 and 18 runs, respectively.
A 43 from lower-order batter R Sonu Yadav helped them push the score to 169/8. In reply, Rajasthan blasted the target away, led by Deepak Hooda’s expert 76 (36).
Sudharsan can try to make an eleventh-hour case for the T20 World Cup. His IPL performances have been extremely consistent. Even last season, he scored 759 runs at a strike rate of 156.17.
His Test series didn’t go well. He was dropped from the first match, replaced by state-mate Washington Sundar, and brought back for the second. He scored 15 runs in the first innings and was arguably the team’s best batter in the second, with his brilliant 139-ball marathon on a difficult wicket, though it only yielded 14 runs.
Smaran shines again for Karnataka
Ravichandran Smaran once again showcased his immense potential with a timely fifty, leading Karnataka to a five-wicket victory over Uttarakhand in the opening Group D match of the Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Trophy on Wednesday.
After Uttarakhand posted a competitive total of 197 for five in 20 overs, Karnataka faced a clear challenge.
Skipper Kunal Chandela (88 off 49 balls, 7 fours, 5 sixes) and Aanjaneya Suryavanshi (54 off 36 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes) put together a 122-run partnership for the fourth wicket, helping Uttarakhand recover from a precarious 32 for three.
Pacer Vidwath Kaverappa stood out for Karnataka, taking three wickets while giving away 37 runs.
Karnataka stumbled to 15 for two, losing Karun Nair and KL Shrijith, but Mayank Agarwal and Smaran steadied the innings with an 84-run partnership for the third wicket, taking the score to 99.
However, quick dismissals of skipper Agarwal, Smaran, and Abhinav Manohar left Karnataka at 128 for five in 13.2 overs.
Needing 70 runs off 6.4 overs, late-order batsmen Praveen Dubey (38 off 24 balls) and Shubbang Hegde (29 off 18 balls) successfully chased down the target on the last ball of the match.
Left-arm pacer Rajan Kumar (3/24) was Uttarakhand’s most effective bowler.
