He has made quite some noise in the domestic circuit.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) created a surprsie when they decided to spend INR 30 lakhs on 18-year-old teenager Andre Siddarth during last month’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction.
Although an unknown commodity in the big leagues, Siddarth has made quite some noise in the domestic circuit playing for Tamil Nadu (TN) with his whirlwind knocks.
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Also, cricket is in his DNA, as Siddarth is the nephew of former Tamil Nadu cricketer S. Sharath. His father, Dr. Chandrasekar, has also played a significant role in shaping his journey.
Since Siddarth was just five years old, Chandrasekar immersed himself in studying cricket techniques through books, analyzing video tutorials, and watching countless matches to nurture his son’s talent.
Clearly, the efforts have now reaped results as Andre Siddarth gears up for the most important gig of his career so far after landing an IPL contract.
Standing at six-foot three-inch, the bespectacled batter has graduated to the senior level with a lot of reputation from age-group cricket. He’s lived up to the reputation as well after helping TN out of tricky situations in the Cooch Behar Trophy last year.
A remarkable knock of 140 when Tamil Nadu was struggling at 101/7 against Bihar and an impressive 120 after his team was reduced to 80/4 against Chandigarh are prime examples of his resilience.
During Buchi Babu tournament in August this year, he once displayed his brilliance with an unbeaten 94-ball 115, comprising 15 boundaries and four maximums in a fourth-innings chase of 219 on a tricky pitch versus Gujarat.
Given that Andre Siddarth possesses natural flair and temperament, he put all doubt to rest by showing his versatility in the first phase of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, where he wasn’t as aggressive and instead prepared to play the waiting game.
Starting his campaign with a solid 38 against Saurashtra, he continued his form with unbeaten scores of 66* and 55*, along with 41 against Delhi and Chhattisgarh respectively.
He once again saved Tamil Nadu from a challenging situation when they were reeling at 79/3 against Assam. Siddarth rose to the occasion and delivered a crucial 94 off 163 balls, featuring 9 fours and a six. So far, in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, he has played six matches and amassed 372 runs, including four half-centuries, showcasing his remarkable consistency.
Speaking about his ability to shift gears, Siddarth said to Indian Express, “It is not that I’m batting differently, it is just that I’m getting a hang of it. At Under-19, I honestly thought if you can’t dominate the opposition, there is no use playing. Maybe it is my ego or that’s what I learnt watching (Ricky) Ponting bat. I won’t say the level was easy, but from the time I was a kid, I am used to playing with older players. So at U19, all that I wanted to do was dominate without worrying about the scores.”
Apart from his stellar numbers, it could be presumed that the Tamil Nadu batter was chosen due to his familiarity with playing at Chepauk, which is also the home ground for CSK – a place Siddarth knows like the back of his hand due to the sheer amount of domestic games he has played at the venue.
Also, given that he bats around the 5 -7 slot and has a knack for playing back-against-the-wall innings, he can evolve into a full-time finisher for CSK in the future.
Siddharth’s T20 ability is unfamiliar at the moment but the Chepauk factor will definitely help him and CSK, when they consider handing him the chance, which is certain to arrive eventually.
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