Ashwin boost for Tami Nadu

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It will be a shot in the arm for Tamil Nadu as Indian off-spinner R. Ashwin is set to join the state team ahead of their quarterfinal clash against Mumbai in the Syed Musthaq Ali T20 tournament to commence in Mumbai from Friday. Former champions Tamil Nadu led by L. Balaji are scheduled to meet the hosts on March 24 (Saturday) at the Brabourne Stadium. Both teams received a bye in their first round.

Ashwin who returned earlier than expected from Bangladesh as India failed to qualify for the Asia Cup final will join his state team on Friday. “I can’t wait to be a part of the TN dressing room. Having missed the entire Ranji trophy season this is a good opportunity for me to contribute. We have always been a good force in limited over competitions and this will also help the players get warmed up for the forthcoming IPL,” said Ashwin.

Balaji was confident of a good show from his team. “We have to forget what happened in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and concentrate on what’s ahead of us. We have to be on top in all three departments as things can change quickly in this format,” said Balaji who led TN to the final of the Ranji Trophy in his first season as captain.

Tamil Nadu will take some confidence from their Ranji semi-final win over Mumbai recently. “It helps when you know you have done well against a particular opponent. At the same time it will all boil down to how well we can execute our plans on that given day. Mumbai is always a tough side to be beat and I am sure it will be a challenge we are going to enjoy,” added Balaji.

Having come really close to the Ranji title and failing to qualify for the national round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the season has been a mixed one for TN. The T20 tourney is a good chance to erase all the bad memories. Ideal time for fearless cricket.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Round Date Teams
PQF Mar 23 Baroda V Karnataka
PQF Mar 23 Assam V Punjab
1st QF Mar 24 Delhi V Railways
2nd QF Mar 24 TN v Mumbai
3rd QF Mar 25 Bengal V TBA
4th QF Mar 25 M. Pradesh V TBA
SF Mar 26 TBA
Final Mar 27 TBA