CHENNAI: Left-arm spinners DT Chandrasekar and M Siddharth will be the cynosure of all eyes as the All-India Buchi Babu tournament begins in Chennai on Monday.
From Tamil Nadu's perspective, this is virtually the selection trials for the Ranji Trophy team. With S Ajith Ram ruled out for this season due to an injury he suffered during the TNPL, the choice for the second spinner after R Sai Kishore could be between DT Chandrasekar and M Siddharth. But If the selectors favour youth instead of an experienced hand, then the Trichy-based off spinner M Hemchudesan will come into the picture. Hemchudesan has been terrific at the U-19 level, picking up 47 wickets to help Tamil Nadu win the Cooch Behar trophy after 33 years. He has also been among wickets in the TNCA Senior Division league.In the Buchi Babu tournament, M Siddharth and Chandrasekar will be playing for TNCA XI while Hemchudesan will be turning out for the TNCA President's XI.
“Pleased to be back in the Buchi Babu squad after a long time. If given an opportunity I will give my best shot,” said DT Chandrasekar. Chandrasekar has been in the best form of his life in the TNCA Senior Division league. He recently bowled himself into the record books, taking a 10-wicket haul for Sea Hawks against Globe Trotters in the TNCA first division league. Chandrasekar's 10/37 came in a single unbroken spell of 15 overs which helped his team bundle out Globe Trotters for a paltry 91.
Former India off-spinner M Venkataramana was the last player to take all 10 wickets in the TNCA First Division league in 1992. “I am bowling well at the moment. During that ten-wicket haul, I was in the zone and bowled with good flow. I have been bowling well for my side (Sea Hawks) this season. Last year also I bowled well in the TNCA league,'' said Chandrasekar.
“I have been working on my game for the last few years from the time I was with Jolly Rovers. I constantly try to improve my skills. At the moment, I am bowling with good rhythm and the ball is coming out nicely from my hands. Looking forward to doing well in Buchi Babu,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior state selection committee chair K Shri Vasudeva Das insisted that he was keen to improve the bench strength of the team. He also insists that he will pick the best squad irrespective of age and skill sets take precedence. “Buchi Babu is definitely one of the important tournaments and it is in the process of preparation for Ranji Trophy. So definitely we will have to think well and we have to definitely prepare well,” said Vasudeva Das. “Ajith Ram is out due to injury. We have plenty of options even in our first division as well as our under-23 cricket. It gives an opportunity for one of them to see how better we can do it,” he added.
When asked whether being in the north of 30s makes it difficult for a player to break into the team, he said that skill sets and consistency get the nod. “I am happy for DT, for he has been doing well over a period of time. So he has earned his place back here in the Buchi Babu. So we will need to see how this tournament shapes up. He is a pretty experienced campaigner,” said Vasudeva Das before insisting that the emphasis was on all the bowlers in both the teams. The selectors are also keeping an eye for fast bowlers as in the past both Sandeep Warrier and Gurjapneet Singh have been out due to injuries. ''Yeah we need a good bunch in the fast bowling department, it is more of workload management. We need to handle the players well and try our best to keep them as fit as possible for the domestic season. So in that process, we also have to open up the bench strength. We are working towards that,'' revealed Vasudeva Das.
As for back up options for Washington Sundar and B Sai Sudharsan, who are in the scheme of things for the national side across formats, the former TN cricketer said: “They are our primary cricketers. So when they are called for national duty, we have to just see the other youngsters who have been there for some time and who are also upcoming and give them an opportunity. We did see some of them do well last year.”