R. Sonu Yadav and S. Ajith Ram provided the finishing touches in double quick time and brought home an improbable innings victory for Tamil Nadu against Railways on Saturday.
The miracle workers’ 20-minute burst on day four ensured the host fell 25 runs short of TN’s first-innings total.
However, it was the lower-order’s efforts — shepherded by S. Mohamed Ali (91) — that set the table for the bonus point.
Mohamed’s remarkable knock, along with some vigil by the tail-enders, swelled TN’s lead from double digits to over 200. This proved vital by the end of the match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
“I tried to build an innings and put a price tag on my wicket. I wanted to bat long and get a huge lead so that we can go for those extra points,” Mohamed told Sportstar after his first Player-of-the-Match performance in the Ranji Trophy.
READ | Sonu, Ajith Ram bowl Tamil Nadu to innings win over Railways
There were loud cheers from the Tamil Nadu dressing room on day three with each run the 16-year-old Pranav Ragavendra and Gurjapneet Singh were adding to the team’s tally during their 36-run stand.
“We would have ended up batting again if not for the last-wicket partnership. Mohamed’s innings and the lower-order contribution gave us the extra point. This will give us the confidence to go and win championships,” TN skipper N. Jagadeesan said after the match.
“The dugout’s reaction was full of excitement. If a 16-year-old is batting, it just makes you interested to see what he is about to do. Even Gurjapneet, our lanky pacer, played beautifully and got us going,” Jagadeesan added.
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