CHENNAI: Just two years, that’s all it took for Andre Siddarth to go from making his debut in Tamil Nadu colours to becoming the state's Ranji Trophy vice-captain. The elevation didn’t come out of nowhere; the 20-year-old has been one of Tamil Nadu’s most trusted batters over the past two years, standing up tall when the others have folded.
On Thursday, he will have the chance to show his leadership abilities when he leads the highly anticipated Tamil Nadu U23 side against the Rest of India U23 side here at Chepauk. “It's an important match for me personally. I am captaining the state team again after roughly two years — I captained the Under-19 side in my second year before moving to Ranji,” Siddarth told journalists ahead of the clash that starts Thursday.
“Leading the side in this match after the intra-squad game will be a tremendous learning experience against a quality opponent. Most of the Under-23 boys are familiar faces I've grown up playing with since childhood, so captaining them is a genuine privilege.”
Siddarth’s side will have their task cut out, given the strong Rest of India U23 outfit, which features Baroda’s Priyanshu Moliya and Mumbai’s Angkrish Raghuvanshi. But the 20-year-old insisted that the team is shaping up well.
“This Rest of India match is very important, especially for our group — the Under-23 boys, along with Deepesh and Athish. Ranji Trophy preparation-wise, we are shaping up well as a team, sticking together, and enjoying each other’s success.”
However, he’s unfazed about shouldering the responsibility of being the state’s vice-captain, and called it a ‘privilege and honour’. Across two seasons of red-ball cricket, Siddarth has made some eye-catching performances, amassing 612 runs in his debut campaign, averaging 68 before registering 409 runs in the second, where he was the team’s third-best batter.
“That is a good responsibility for me. At the age of 20, getting the vice-captaincy for a state like Tamil Nadu is a privilege and an honour. I feel that pressure is a blessing. For the upcoming season, I want to take that elevation and keep my game moving forward.”
All eyes and responsibility will be on him to spearhead the U23 side to more success over the next four days.