Courtesy: BCCI

Courtesy: BCCI

Tamil Nadu, led by wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik clinches their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2020-21 title after defeating Baroda in the final by seven wickets on January 31, 2021. The result was in their favour mainly because the amazing bowling performance of left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth, who took four wickets in the match. Tamil Nadu, featuring players like Narayan Jagdeesan, M. Shahrukh Khan, Sai Kishore, and Murugan Ashwin, remained unbeaten throughout the SMAT.

Tamil Nadu finished at the top of the Elite Group B points table in the SMAT 2020-21, winning all their league matches, to secure a quarter-final against Himachal Pradesh. With Soun Yadav’s three wickets and Baba Aparajith’s half-century, the team advanced to the semi-final, where they defeated Himachal Pradesh by five wickets in the quarter-final.

In the semi-final of SMAT 2020-21, Tamil Nadu faced Rajasthan, and their bowlers restricted the opponent to 154 while bowling first. Mohammed Mohammed took two wickets, while Sai Kishore got two wickets. Chasing a 155-run target, the batting lineup struggled at the start, losing two early wickets of Hari Nishanth and Baba Aparajuth, but Arun Karthik’s knock of 89* of just 54 balls gave Tamil Nadu a comfortable win over Rajasthan by seven wickets in the end, to qualify for the final.

tamil nadu won by 7 wickets

Tamil Nadu’s bowling department was exceptional throughout the SMAT 2020-21 campaign, and their bowlers delivered once again at the biggest match, the final against Baroda by restricting them to just 120. Manimaran Siddharth performed outstandingly well by taking four wickets, giving just 20 runs in his four overs. With Hari Nishaanth's 35, Baba Aparajith’s 29, and Dinesh Karthik’s quick 22, Tamil Nadu lifted their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2021 after getting the better of Baroda.

Narayan Jagadeesan became the highest run-getter of the tournament, scoring 364 runs in eight innings with a 72.80 average and a strike rate of 141.08, including four half-centuries. Mohammed Mohammed and Murugan Ashwin from Tamil Nadu took 10 wickets, respectively.