Tamil Nadu captain B. Aparajith scored an unbeaten 63 (42b, 7x4) to help Tamil Nadu pick up its first win of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season. Odisha lost by five wickets in an Elite Group E contest on Wednesday.
Chasing 142 for victory, Tamil Nadu got off to a good start with opener N. Jagadeesan making a quick 35 (29b, 3x4, 1x6). He added 48 runs for the second wicket with Aparajith.
Tamil Nadu was cruising at 74 for one when Jagadeesan was dismissed in the ninth over. Sameer Mohanty then got Odisha back in the game taking two wickets in the next over as Tamil Nadu slumped to 76 for four at the halfway stage. Aparjith then took control of the innings and ensured that his team did not crumble as it did on Tuesday against Chhattisgarh.
The skipper, along with M. Shahrukh Khan, added 46 runs for the fifth wicket and got his side home with seven balls to spare.
Earlier, electing to bat first, Odisha posted 141 for three riding on half-centuries from opener Anshuman Rath (51, 40b, 6x4, 1x6) and Subhransu Senapati (65, 53b, 4x4, 3x6). Washington Sundar struck early in the second over of the match to remove opener Aashirwad Swain before Rath and Senapati stitched a 97-run stand for the second wicket to help set a good platform for Odisha.
The Tamil Nadu bowlers, however, did well to pull things back in the final phase of the innings, conceding only 40 runs in the last six overs to restrict Odisha to a modest total. Speaking to Sportstar , Aparajith said, “It was good, we played a match immediately after losing yesterday and got this win. It was crucial for us. We did well as a bowling unit to restrict them (Odisha) and then played with intent at the start of our chase.”
“In the first match, we couldn’t get the big hits going during the middle overs but today we managed to run hard because the outfield is heavy and it is a big ground. So you can’t just rely on boundaries,” he added.
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