The Tamil Nadu u-23 team just cannot stop clinching titles. Having achieved a double in the previous season, it added a trophy to its cabinet after defeating Rest of India u-23 in a match that mirrored the Irani Cup.

C. Andre Siddarth, who led the State to its latest triumph on Sunday, believes the current crop is capable of extending its dominance. “They have experience… the way they won the tournaments last year speaks for itself. They are good enough to win the tournaments again,” said Andre, proudly sporting a victor’s medal around his neck.

The u-23 unit will begin its Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy defence in a home game against Saurashtra in Dindigul later this month. With Andre becoming a mainstay in the senior red-ball set-up, the age-group side will be led by all-rounder S. Mohamed Ali. “These guys are too good to be honest. I have been playing with them since my u-12 days. They know what they need to do… these aren’t guys who need to be told what is expected of them,” Andre added.

For RoI opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi, it was about getting back in the groove.

The Mumbai lad had been out of action for three months with a finger injury, but he is now finding his feet again. The double century against TN u-23 was a massive confidence booster. “I am playing [competitive cricket] after a long time and my knock gave me clarity. The middle of the pitch is my happy place,” said Raghuvanshi.

“I tried to bat as long as I could. It was a satisfying experience because every batter dreams of hitting big hundreds. It was a good day for me, but it would have been better had we won the match,” he added.

R. Sai Kishore will lead Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season that begins next month. The TNCA senior selection committee has picked a 16-member squad for the opening fixture against Rajasthan, to be played in Jaipur from October 11 to 14.

Alongside the regulars, left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram returns after missing out last year due to injury. The squad features promising pacers R.D. Pranav Ragavendra and D. Deepesh. The youngsters are known for their ability to bowl at a brisk pace, something TN has not had in a while. While Pranav made his debut in the 2024-25 season, Deepesh has received his maiden call-up.

“We got good feedback about Pranav during the recent India under-19 tour to Sri Lanka. These two are the future, and we want to allow them to mature. In three years, they will be the backbone of our attack,” said Sunil Subramanian, chairman of the selection committee.

Meanwhile, C. Andre Siddarth, who will play in his third season, has been named vice-captain. The 20-year-old was TN’s third-highest run-scorer (409 runs) last term. “He led the side well in the intra-squad game, and we are looking at grooming him for the future,” Sunil added.

On promising opener B. Sachin not making the cut, Sunil said that with S.R. Athish being the back-up wicketkeeper and G. Ajitesh doing well in the practice match, he had to miss out.

The squad: R. Sai Kishore (Capt.), C. Andre Siddarth (Vice-capt.), G. Ajitesh (wk), S. Ajith Ram, S.R. Athish, D. Deepesh, G. Govinth, J. Hemchudeshan, B. Indrajith, N. Jagadeesan, Nidhish S. Rajagopal, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, R.D. Pranav Ragavendra, P. Saravana Kumar, R. Sonu Yadav, R. Vimal Khumar.

Standby/development squad: B. Aaditya, A. Esakkimuthu, Manav Parakh, S. Radhakrishnan, B. Sachin.