The other Baba twin steps out of the shadows

The Baba twins in Tamil Nadu are something of an equivalent of the Waugh twins. Baba Aparajith shot to recognition after being a pivotal role in India's Under-19 World Cup victory in Australia in 2012, and has already collected 40 first-class caps.

Baba Indrajith, though, is only now stepping out of the shadows. His consistency in domestic cricket, particularly his performance in the Ranji Trophy last season where he scored 713 runs at an average of 44.56, has been rewarded with vice-captaincy of a young side. For a 21-year-old with only two years of first-class experience this is a big leap, but he, as well as those who have seen him from an early age, are confident he is well-equipped for it.

Indrajith, who had racked up 713 runs at 44.56 in the previous season, said he relished responsibility and believed it would improve his batting as well. "If I achieve what I achieved last year that would be good. Vice-captaincy is a good responsibility and I think it will help my batting."

Indrajith has been talked up as a captaincy prospect right from the time he started playing age-group cricket. "He has captained in TNCA league, Under-16 and Under-19 cricket. Right from a young age he was seen as captaincy material," his personal coach, S Balaji, told ESPNcricinfo.

Indrajith hardly comes across as an authoritative figure. He is soft-spoken and resembles the studious class-topper or the quiet guy at a party. He may be young and inexperienced but, according to Balaji, he has made things happen as a captain in league divisions and age-cricket.

"He is not a robotic captain and picks up things during crucial passages of play," Balaji said. "He has played with senior players in Under-23 cricket and as a captain he makes his own decisions."

Recently when he led Tamil Nadu in the KSCA Invitation tournament ahead of the season, he marshalled the bowling attack well. The pitch assisted the seamers, but Indrajith brought spinners into play early on one of the days and they made breakthroughs.

"Indrajith told me that the wicket was powdery and he used spinners there. Sometimes, he used spin from one end and a fast bowler from the other. He led really well," recalled Balaji.

"With many seniors not there, this is a young Tamil Nadu team and appointing Indrajith as vice-captain is a step forward. In fact, I expected it to happen last year itself. He knows most of these players and they know each other's game well."

Apart from Indrajith's calm temperament and solid technique with the bat, he can also pitch in with handy legspin though he has under-bowled himself of late, largely due to a shoulder problem.

With responsibility comes pressure. "It is all about how me manage it," Indrajith said. He has managed it efficiently in age-group and league cricket but biggest tests await Indrajith and Tamil Nadu. First up is Baroda in the Ranji Trophy first round, where Tamil Nadu will be without allrounder Vijay Shankar and pacer Aswin Crist, who join M Vijay on the injury list.