Meek surrender: Chandigarh batters fell flat in front of the Tamil Nadu spinners.
| Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
It took just the first six deliveries on the final day for Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram (19-2-89-4) to trap Chandigarh’s overnight batter Vishu Kashyap plumb in front, providing the perfect start for the host’s march towards victory at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground on Sunday.
The win was sealed in 69 minutes of the morning session. TN trounced Chandigarh by 290 runs in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-D match and consolidated its position at the top of the table.
TN skipper and fellow left-arm tweaker R. Sai Kishore (21-6-62-4) joined the action by dismissing Mayank Sindhu and Jagjit Singh cheaply, leaving opposition captain Manan Vohra (100 n.o., 131b, 6×4, 6×6) stranded at the non-striker’s end as he watched his team collapse like a house of cards for the second time in two days.
Manan Vohra celebrating after scoring a century against Tamil Nadu.
| Photo Credit:
E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
But that didn’t stop him from reaching his 11th First Class hundred. He stepped down the track to both the tweakers, smashing six maximums, mostly through the leg side, as he carried his bat through the second essay.
Rohit Dhanda made his way back to the dugout without troubling the scorers, as M. Siddharth ran him out, while Ajith castled the last man, Abhishek Saini.
Chandigarh batter Rohit Dhanda is run out during the Ranji Trophy match at Salem Cricket Foundation Ground.
| Photo Credit:
E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
Speaking to The Hindu, both captains reflected on their teams’ performances.
“Overall a good team performance. Switching back into the red-ball format wasn’t easy. Having said that, it feels good to get this win. The vibe and the spirit in the team is very good,” said Sai Kishore.
“We lost the match in the first innings. We were cruising at one stage, from there to 204 all out tells nerves got the better of us. But kudos to Vijay Shankar and his partnership with Jagadeesan, they took the match away from us. We are going to go full throttle in the next match and try to stay in the race,” said Vohra.
The scores: Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: 301.
Chandigarh — 1st innings: 204.
Tamil Nadu — 2nd innings: 305/5 decl.
Chandigarh — 2nd innings: Manan Vohra (not out) 100, Tushar Joshi b Mohammed 0, Kunal Mahajan lbw b Ajith Ram 7, Shivam Bhambri b Sai Kishore 16, Ankit Kaushik c Indrajith b Sai Kishore 37, Nishunk Birla lbw b Ajith Ram 0, Vishu Kashyap lbw b Ajith Ram 4, Mayank Sidhu lbw b Sai Kishore 8, Jagjit Singh c Ajith Ram b Sai Kishore, Rohit Dhanda run out 0, Abhishek Saini b Ajith Ram 1; Extras (b-9, lb-6):15; Total (in 50 overs): 193.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-20, 3-43, 4-107, 5-108, 6-114, 7-137, 8-149, 9-155.
Tamil Nadu bowling: Sai Kishore 21-6-62-4, Mohammed 6-1-13-1, Ajith Ram 19-2-89-4, Mohamed Ali 4-0-14-0.
PoM: Vijay Shankar.
Published – January 26, 2025 06:46 pm IST
