Baba Indrajith

A steady batsman, who can occasionally keep wicket and bowl handy legspin, Indrajith supplied the spine into Tamil Nadu's middle order after S Badrinath moved out of the state in 2014. Having been bred on turning pitches in Chennai, Indrajith is adept at using his feet and is among the best players of spin in Tamil Nadu.

However, Indrajith spent much of his early years in the shadow of his twin brother B Aparajith, who played a vital role in India's Under-19 World Cup victory in Australia in 2012. Indrajith was initially shattered at missing the cut for the Under-19 World Cup, but he gradually worked his way into becoming one of the mainstays in Tamil Nadu's middle order.

He raised his game in 2017-18, when he hit a back-to-the wall double-hundred against the pink ball on his Duleep Trophy debut and later made a remarkable 152 against Mumbai at the BKC ground. In both innings, he marshalled the tail and took calculated risks.

In the next season, Indrajith was rewarded with the full-time captaincy of a young Tamil Nadu side. He celebrated his elevation to leadership with an unbeaten 103 against Madhya Pradesh in Tamil Nadu's Ranji Trophy opener in Dindigul.
Deivarayan Muthu