Ashwin, Vijay in TN One-Day squad

CHENNAI: India's Test regulars M Vijay and R Ashwin have been named in the 16-member Tamil Nadu squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy Group C league phase which will be held here from February 5-14. Both Vijay and Ashwin were part of the recently-concluded Test series against South Africa. "Both Vijay and Ashwin possess a wealth of experience and their presence will be a big boost for our squad," a TNCA official told TOI on Wednesday.
Asked if the fatigue factor were taken into consideration while drafting Vijay and Ashwin in the side, the official said, "Both the players have time and again turned up for the state side. Even during the last Ranji Trophy season, both Vijay and Ashwin played for the Tamil Nadu side whenever an opportunity arose. So, there was no doubt that they will be up for the task this time as well."
The Tamil Nadu side will be led by Vijay Shankar and B Aparajith will be his deputy. The side sees the return of right arm medium-pacer Aswin Crist who had to miss the previous Ranji season due to a back stress fracture. B Anirudh Sita Ram, who moved from Hyderabad to Tamil Nadu last season, makes an entry into the state squad for the first time. However, the notable names missing include Abhinav Mukund, T Natarajan and M Ashwin. Abhinav had missed the Syed Mushtaq Ali tourney with a shoulder injury. "We have gone purely on the basis of current form and fitness levels," was all that the official replied when asked about the players who missed the cut.
Group C will see Tamil Nadu being clubbed alongside Andhra, Gujarat, Goa, Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Tamil Nadu will take on Gujarat in their campaign opener at Pachaiyappa's College ground on February 5. Two teams from the group will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will be a knock-out affair. Tamil Nadu are the defending champions of the tournament, they beat Bengal in the final last year by 37 runs.
Tamil Nadu squad: M Vijay, Ganga Sridhar Raju, B Anirudh Sita Ram, M Kaushik Gandhi, B Aparajith (Vice-Captain), Vijay Shankar (captain), MS Washington Sundar, N Jagadeesan, R Ashwin, K Vignesh, Aswin Crist, Rahil S Shah, M Abhinav, J Kousik, V Yo Mahesh and R Sai Kishore
Tamil Nadu fixtures: Vs Gujarat at Pachaiyappa's College (Feb 5); Vs Goa at Chepauk (Feb 6); Vs Mumbai at SSN College (Feb 8); Vs Madhya Pradesh (Feb 9); Vs Andhra at Murugappa ground (Feb 11); Vs Rajasthan at Chepauk (Feb 14)