On a Monday afternoon, where the scorching sun ramped up the heat, Tamil Nadu produced fireworks with the bat against Sikkim in a battle as one-sided as a victory margin of 134 runs illustrates.
Batting first on winning the toss, the men in yellow posted 218 for six at the Emerald Heights International School ground. The northeast outfit was confined to 84 for seven, giving Tamil Nadu a second straight win in Group B of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Skipper M. Shahrukh Khan and all-rounder Vijay Shankar weren’t needed with the bat but were held back as they were to give others time at the crease.
N. Jagadeesan took the full toll of a pedestrian Sikkim bowling unit, top-scoring with 88 off 49 balls. Unlike the previous game where he batted at No. 3, he strode out to open alongside B. Indrajith. It is understood that B. Sai Sudharsan was unavailable for selection, having been called up to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
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With a partnership of 78 runs in seven overs, Jagadeesan and Indrajith quickly gave the contest an air of predictability. Just as they had done against Tripura at the Holkar Stadium by unleashing their shots to lay the platform for an imposing total. This was a different venue, but the pitch was just as true, allowing them to hammer the ball through the line without hesitation.
Indrajith only came undone when a heave across the line against medium-pacer Bhim Luitel resulted in the ball knocking back the stumps. Jagadeesan, however, was in the mood to capitalise. With diminutive left-hand batter M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar for company, Jagadeesan added another 75 runs for the second wicket.
Karnataka registers first win
After losing to Uttarakhand on Saturday, Karnataka bounced back with a five-wicket win over Tripura. Chasing 186 for victory, the Mayank Agarwal-led team reached the target with five wickets in hand. While Agarwal and R. Smaran scored half-centuries, Abhinav Manohar, who was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹3.2 crore at the IPL mega auction, applied the finishing touch with an unbeaten 34.
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