Tamil Nadu missed out on winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by a narrow margin during the 2019/20 season. They had lost to Karnataka by just one run in the final. However, they looked determined to win the title when they made it to the final in this edition of the tournament once again. It was Baroda who were facing them in the final showdown. They had taken down a lot of giants, including Karnataka, to make their road to the final and thus they were charged up to take on Tamil Nadu as well.
However, the Dinesh Karthik-led side had a perfect season as well, as they won each of their matches while coming into the grand finale. And they maintained their unbeaten record as they beat Baroda by seven wickets to clinch their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. It was the effort of each and every member of the side that made this victory possible but there were five players in particular who laid the foundation of their title win. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at them.
Narayan Jagadeesan
The 25-year-old opening batsman finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament. Jagadesan amassed a total of 364 runs during the course of the competition, at a staggering average of 72.80 and an excellent strike-rate of 141.08. He smashed four fifties in total and his best of 78* came in their seven-wicket win against Hyderabad in the group stage. Jagadeesan showed excellent composure and consistency. Not only he played big knocks and batted through, but he made sure that he scored those runs at a good rate as well.
Arun Karthik
The veteran batsman couldn’t do that well in the group stage and the quarterfinals but he delivered with his batting when it mattered the most. Tamil Nadu were two wickets down for just 17 runs chasing a target of 155 in the semifinal against Rajasthan. They were in a tricky situation but Karthik walked out to bat and went on the counter-attack straightaway. He formed a 52-run stand for the third wicket with Jagadeesan first and then a 89-run stand for the fourth wicket with Dinesh Karthik to guide Tamil Nadu home. He remained unbeaten on a score of 89 off just 54 deliveries, an innings which consisted of 9 fours and 3 sixes.
Baba Aparajith
The 26-year-old played a crucial role with both bat and ball. Aparajith brought control in the middle-overs for Tamil Nadu with his disciplined bowling and gave them important breakthroughs as well. He registered a total of six wickets during the tournament, at an average of 15.83 and an economy rate of 5.93. As a batsman, he batted at multiple positions but his most important knock came in the quarter-finals against Himachal Pradesh. He scored an unbeaten 52 off just 45 deliveries to help Tamil Nadu chase down a target of 136.
Dinesh Karthik
He didn’t go past the fifty-run mark even once but he played some crucial cameos batting in the middle-order. Karthik provided assurance and solidity to Tamil Nadu’s middle-order. He amassed a total of 183 runs during the course of the tournament, at an excellent average of 61. Moreover, he scored his runs at an excellent strike-rate of 157.75 as well, which sums up the kind of impact he made on the scoring rate of the team. His best of an unbeaten 47 off 31 deliveries came in their group-stage match against Bengal, as Tamil Nadu chased down a stiff target of 164 after being two down for 57 runs.
R Sai Kishore
The left-arm spinner extorted immense pressure on the opposition batsmen with his tight line and length. His variations also kept the batsmen guessing everytime and an overall economy rate of 4.82 during the tournament sums up how disciplined he was. Sai Kishore picked up eight wickets as well, at a mean average of 16.87 once again. It was Manimaran Siddharth who starred with the ball in the final, picking up a total of four wickets. But it was Sai Kishore from the other end, who increased the pressure on the batsmen further. He couldn’t pick up a wicket but he conceded just 11 runs during his four-over spell, at a mean economy rate of 2.75.