SMAT 2022: Washington Sundar, T Natarajan included in Tamil Nadu’s squad
Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has struggled with injuries lately, is set to return to the pitch in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Tamil Nadu have named the youngster in their strong 16-member squad for India’s domestic T20 tournament. Sundar has also been handed vice-captaincy duties with Baba Aparajith replacing injured Vijay Shankar as captain.
The 22-year-old bowling all-rounder featured in only nine Indian Premier League 2022 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad due to injury. After the tournament, he joined the English County side Lancashire, where he made two championship appearances and two in the Royal London One-Day Cup. He injured his shoulder while fielding against Worcestershire on August 10, which ruled out his return to international cricket as he was named in India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour last month. But he has made a speedy recovery and is set to feature for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting on October 11.
T Natarajan returns but Vijay Shankar misses out for Tamil Nadu:
Tamil Nadu’s management has also included experienced pacer T Natarajan in their squad for the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Natarajan took 18 wickets in11 IPL 2022 games before getting ruled out with a knee injury. Similar to Sundar, he has also struggled with recurring injuries for the last few years but is set to return next month.
With Sundar and Natarajan’s return, Tamil Nadu skipper Vijay Shankar remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. Vijay last played competitive cricket for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022, where he scored only 19 runs and failed to take any wickets in four matches. Both Natarajan and Vijay missed the entire Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022 tournament as well. Tamil Nadu are the current champion of the tournament and are looking strong to defend the title this season.
Tamil Nadu squad for SMAT 2022: B Aparajith (capt), Washington Sundar (vice-capt), B Sai Sudharsan, T Natarajan, M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore, R Sanjay Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, M Siddharth, Varun Chakravarthy, J Suresh Kumar, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, R Silambarasan, M Ashwin, G Ajitesh
