Apart from R. Ashwin’s absence from the Tamil Nadu Ranji squad, there is another striking distinction in the present line-up to the one that represented last season. This year, nearly half-a-dozen new faces broke into the state ranks.

It was refreshing to see as many as five young cricketers — batsman M. Kaushik Gandhi, all-rounder B. Aparajith, pacer J. Kaushik, spinners Malolan Rangarajan and Rahil Shah — make their debuts for Tamil Nadu.

While Aparajith was the first to debut this season during the truncated opening league game against Baroda, Kaushik and J. Kaushik got their dues in the subsequent fixtures. Left-arm orthodox Rahil and off-spinner Malolan were the latest to make an entry into first-class cricket for Tamil Nadu.

Off-spinner Sunny Gupta, who shifted his loyalties from Jharkhand to play in Chennai, too is just four matches old.

And furthermore, there is raw talent in batsman Vijay Shankar waiting to be unleashed. The presence of youngsters, without doubt, augurs well for Tamil Nadu.

And with guidance of experienced players such as L. Balaji, S. Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik, these beginners are bound to double their strengths.

Kaushik may not have scored the desired runs in his debut game after registering 16 off 94 deliveries.

However, the youngster’s long vigil at the crease produced the highest first-innings partnership (99 runs for the second wicket) with Abhinav Mukund. “I thought I justified my role there. I had to give my senior partner Abhinav support from the other end. Moreover, it wasn’t easy playing against two leg-spinners on a tricky surface,” said the right-handed batsman.

After Tamil Nadu were assu-red of a quarter-final berth, regular Shri Vasudeva Das was rested which provided Kaushik a second shot. And this time, it was against visitors Madhya Pradesh in the final league game last week.

The 21-year-old, who possesses a compact stance with a wide grip on the bat, gave a good account of himself with a commendable 80 off 178 balls. Kaushik stitched three 50-plus partnerships with M. Vijay, Badrinath and Karthik even as Tamil Nadu took a toll on MP.

When asked if there was any pressure on him, Kaushik replied: “I walked in with an open mind. My objective was to spend quality time at the crease. Having experienced partners in the middle also helped immensely. Nonetheless, I am disappointed not to score a century. I shouldn’t have given away my wicket after doing all the hard work.”

Kaushik, who led TN U-22 in the C.K. Nayudu trophy, understands that his chances in a star-studded TN batting line-up will be limited.

“I know once the regular batsmen are back, I will need to make way. But I will make best use of any chance that comes along. I want to keep learning from all these experiences,” said Kaushik.

The diminutive batsman has settled pretty well in the dressing room. “It’s a very comfortable atmosphere. All the senior players are friendly and they always guide the newcomers with useful tips. Though, for me, this is not the first time. I have shared the room two years ago,” added Kaushik.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Karthik, who is possibly placed in the best position to assess the new entrants in the bowling department, is impressed with what he has seen so far.

“Whenever the chips were down, Aushik Srinivas and Sunny put their hands up. Though, these are early days for Malolan and Rahil, it was nice to see them make a decent start,” said Karthik.