Cricket is no less than a religion in India, but more so in the state of Tamil Nadu. The massive support for Chennai Super Kings around the globe is proof that the people in the state and the city are extremely passionate about the sport. Tamil Nadu has also given Indian cricket some stars who have achieved great things for the country.
On that note, let us have a look at the 10 best cricketers that Tamil Nadu has produced over the years.
Top Tamil Nadu Cricketers to Play for India
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is arguably the finest off-spinner India has produced, and surely amongst the best Tamil cricketers ever to have represented India. He was born on September 17, 1986, in Chennai. The 36-year old has had a splendid international career, and is currently the first ranked bowler in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings.
Ashwin first wore the blues of India in June, 2010. More than 13 years into his international career, he is still going strong. When it comes to cricketing brains, there are not many in the world that can challenge him. He is, and has always been, a thinking bowler.
His accuracy and ability to tempt the batters into playing false shots is unmatched. Ashwin is currently 11 wickets short of touching the 500-mark in Test cricket, while also picking up 151 ODI wickets and 72 T20I wickets for India. Although his exceptional bowling usually overshadows his batting, he is still very handy with the bat and has scored over 3,100 Test runs.
Murali Vijay
Another great Tamil cricketer is Murali Vijay, who took birth in Chennai on April 1, 1984. The right-handed batter first burst onto the international stage in 2008, when he was included in the Indian Test side. Across formats, he scored a total of 4,490 international runs. He fared the best in red-ball cricket, where he averaged a healthy 38.29 for India while scoring 3,982 runs. He wore the blues of India in only 26 white-ball games, primarily due to his failure to make it count in T20I and ODI cricket.
In the Indian Premier League, he is one of the only 35 batters in the tournament’s history to score more than 2,600 runs. On January 30, 2023, the opener announced his retirement from international cricket after not being included in India’s plans for a long period of time having last represented his nation in December, 2018.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
One of the most entertaining Indian batters ever – Krishnamachari Srikkanth – was born on December 21, 1959. The opener was way ahead of his time as he seemed fearless in his approach. Batting aggressively and showing intent was his brand of cricket. Srikkanth was also one of the reasons behind India’s historic 1983 World Cup triumph.
Opening the innings in the final, he scored a gritty 38 under pressure after India lost Sunil Gavaskar early. His 38 was the highest individual score of the game, and to have done that in a final against the likes of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcom Marshall, Joel Garner is quite incredible. He also achieved a magnificent feat when he scored a fifty and notched five wickets in an ODI against New Zealand in 1988, becoming the first Indian ever to do so.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik is one of the many Indian wicketkeepers who were simply unlucky to be playing in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni era. Nevertheless, his inconsistency never helped his case either. One of the most popular Tamil Cricketer – Dinesh Karthik – was born on June 1, 1985, He made his international debut for India in September, 2004.
In all international games combined, he averaged a mere 27.70 for India across formats. He had a good run in Test cricket in 2007, where he scored a total of 571 runs combined in 11 innings during India’s tours of South Africa, Bangladesh and England, bagging 5 fifties and 1 ton in the process.
What followed was a display of sheer inconsistency, as he never averaged more than 20 in any Test series after that. Karthik averaged 30.21 in ODI cricket and 26.38 in T20Is. His inability to impress with the gloves regularly led to a shortened international career.
Washington Sundar
As an all-rounder who is more than handy with both the bat and the ball, Washington Sundar is amongst the best Tamil Nadu cricketers going around. He took birth in Chennai on October 5, 1999, and was named Washington as a tribute to his godfather – PD Washington. So far, Sundar has played only 4 Tests, 16 ODIs and 35 T20Is.
However, his ability to bowl in the powerplay and contain the flow of runs in white-ball cricket is considered to be of massive importance, and it is one of the major reasons why he is seen as a vital part of India’s future white-ball plans. He has bagged three fifties in the six Test innings that he has batted in.
Moreover, he has a batting average of close to 30 and a bowling average of a little over 27 in ODI cricket. His all-round abilities make him one of the favorites to be Ravichandran Ashwin’s successor; although those would be some massive boots to fill.
Murali Kartik
Standing at 6 feet tall, Murali Kartik showed promise with his high release points. However, with all-time greats Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh sharing the spin-bowling duties at the time, Kartik never really spearheaded an Indian spin bowling attack.
The left-arm orthodox spinner played less than 50 international matches. He was a part of 8 Tests and 37 ODIs, while playing a solitary T20I against Australia in 2007. In 46 games for India, he took 61 wickets.
With a poor bowling average of 44.77 in the IPL, he failed to be a genuine wicket-taking threat in the league. But, his economy of 7.24 meant that he was successful at his designated role, which primarily was to stop the leakage of runs.
Thangarasu Natarajan
Gifted with the ability to nail yorkers to absolute perfection, Thangarasu Natarajan is one of the best Tamil Nadu cricket players. The left-arm pacer was born on April 4, 1991, in Salem.
Like any other cricket fan, Natarajan also started playing the sport with a tennis ball. Transitioning from a tennis ball to a leather ball did not take a toll on his performance. In fact, the experience may only have helped him develop his accuracy.
At 32 years of age, he has played just 7 games for India. Being a pacer, it is clear that he does not have many years left to be able to earn himself an inclusion in India’s long-term plans. His yorker execution abilities, however, cannot be bettered by many in the country.
He was also a part of the Indian side that was involved in the famous Gabba victory in 2021. Natarajan notched the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade in the first innings in that game.
Robin Singh
Unlike the others in this list, Robin Singh did not take birth in Tamil Nadu. He was born in Trinidad on September 14, 1963. He was a genuine three-dimensional player who could bat, bowl and also field exceptionally well, making him one of the most versatile Tamil cricketers.
Robin’s brilliant fitness levels allowed him to steal those quick singles and also be a force to reckon with while fielding. After making his international debut in March, 1989, he was left out and omitted from India’s plans for more than half a decade.
He made a comeback 7-and-a-half years later, after which he became a regular in the side and went on to play 136 ODIs in total for India. He made 9 fifties in the process, with his solitary ton coming in 1997 against Sri Lanka. He also took 69 wickets in the format. Robin represented India in just a single Test, mainly because his game wasn’t considered to be suited to the longest format of the game. Robin Singh will always be remembered as one of the best Tamil Cricket Players.
Sai Sudharsan
Despite not making his senior team debut for India yet, Sai Sudharsan makes it to the list because of the mind-boggling potential this youngster holds. The left-handed batter was born in 2001 and is one of he best cricketers from Chennai.
At only 21 years of age, Sudharsan has done enough in 2023 to prove to the world that a very bright future awaits him. Sudharsan scored 362 runs this season in the Indian Premier League, averaging a whopping 51.71 across 8 innings.
He fell four short of a blistering ton in the final against Chennai Super Kings. Then, he scored 371 runs in 6 innings in the Tamil Nadu Premier League at a staggering average of 74.20, followed by a stellar ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup campaign where he bagged 220 runs, while averaging a phenomenal 73.34.
The sort of perfection with which Sudharsan pierces the gaps while batting is an indication of the great things he could achieve, particularly with his strong technique and temperament.
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Probably the best pacer Tamil Nadu has produced – Lakshmipathy Balaji – was born in Chennai on September 27, 1981. He was the victim of a potentially career-ending stress fracture in 2005. Balaji showed immense fighting spirit and made a comeback about three years later.
His action had to be modified, but the right-arm pacer decided not to give up. He took a hat-trick in the 2008 IPL, and did well in the domestic circuit. His hardwork earned him a call-up for the T20 World Cup in 2012, where he took 9 wickets in 4 games for India. He had an extraordinary bowling average of 9.8 in the campaign, and struck every 8 balls. However, he never wore the blues of India again. Balaji notched 71 wickets in the 43 international matches that he played.
