Half-centuries from B. Indrajith (80), M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar (65) and R. Sai Kishore (60) ensured Tamil Nadu moved into a strong position with a 117-run lead against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal in Coimbatore at the Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science ground on Saturday.
At Stumps on the second day, TN finished on 300 for six, with Vijay Shankar and S. Mohammed Ali at the crease.
Skipper Sai Kishore - who walked in as a nightwatchman on the first day- showed his batting prowess to ensure his side started the day well. The left-handed batter looked solid in defence and was also adept at using the long handle, hitting clean sixes through the leg-side.
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Saurashtra had an opening in the morning session when left-arm spinner Parth Bhut removed N. Jagadeesan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul. But Sai Kishore and Indrajith steadied things till lunch and kept the visiting side from getting a foot in.
Indrajith again showed why he is such a vital cog in TN’s batting line-up, playing a flawless knock when the match was evenly poised at 134 for four.
“Satisfied, but in hindsight, I am thinking about why I played an unnecessary shot,” said Indrajith about his knock. “I tried to go over the top with a straight bat on the off-side, but it hit the inside half of the bat. I could have done better, and I am disappointed that I could not bat till the end of the day.”
He had good support from Boopathi, and the right-left combo ensured the bowlers couldn’t settle into a rhythm and helped the home team take the lead before the tea interval.
Both batters quickly upped the ante in the final session, scoring boundaries at will as the host side collected 102 runs in 26 overs.
“Having played a few five-day matches, I know that a lead of 40 or 50 or 60 runs does not matter. When you bat in the fourth innings, with the pitch deteriorating, there will be pressure. It would be great if we could add 50 more runs. If we have to get 50 more runs, we have to bat out the first session, and we want Saurashtra to bat during the tougher part of the day,” Indrajith added.
Indrajith started his knock by nudging it around the park, taking 79 balls to score his first boundary. The 29-year-old then switched gears seamlessly, taking on the spinners by stepping out to hit down the ground or using the depth of the crease to play his trademark late cuts.
Boopathi, too, grew in confidence and punished the bowlers whenever they pitched it short, using the cut shots effectively to bring up his second half-century of the season.
Against the run of play, the defending champion got two wickets towards the end of the day.
First, Indrajith stepped down to clear Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, only to give a simple return catch. Later, off-spinner Yuvrajsingh Dodiya had Boopathi bowled trying to pull a long hop. However, the duo’s 119-run partnership for the fifth wicket had by then put their team in the driver’s seat.
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