Sunil in Ranji team

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The call saying he was included in the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy squad for the season came as no surprise for Sunil Sam, a native of Kollam.

The young pacer has been an ace bowler for Tamil Nadu in last season’s Ranji scalping 13 wickets in the five matches he played.

“The last season was very tough and I managed to impress. I got a five-wicket haul in the very first match!” said Sunil.

The third year Visual Communication student at Nehru College in Coimbatore is confident about replicating his performance in the coming season as well.

“I will try my level best to shine in the Tamil Nadu team which is captained by former Indian national player, Balaji.

The team, which includes a lot of seniors, is a great place to learn more about the game. It is one of the best within the country as we have a lot of national players. I feel lucky to be selected,” Sunil said.

Sunil has also played for the Kollam district team but it was due to the fact that he studied in Tamil Nadu that he was able to improve his skills in bowling.

A former trainee at the MRF pace institute, Sunil’s latest achievement is a five-wicket performance in the Buchi Babu All India Invitation Tournament against Orissa in August this year.

“It was a major match for me. With this performance, I was hopeful about getting into the team,” he said while rushing to an indoor practice session due to heavy rains in Chennai.

Sunil will be leaving for Delhi for the first match against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy game this Thursday.