Delhi vs Tamil Nadu contest in balance after Day 2

The right-hand batter, who had a prolific run in the 2021-22 season, is yet to make a statement in the tournament.

CHENNAI: "MIXED DAY" is what the Tamil Nadu skipper Baba Indrajith called the way things went for his side on Wednesday in the third round of the Ranji Trophy match against Delhi. They took two wickets in the first hour to reduce Delhi to 237/8 but let the home side get to 303. And then, the visiting side went on to lose some crucial wickets late in the day to finish at 214/5 at stumps, trailing by 89 runs.

Indrajith top-scored for TN with a 94-ball 71, playing a crucial role along with his brother, Baba Aparajith (57), in reviving the side after they lost their openers. Having missed out in the first two matches, it was Indrajith's first fifty of the season.

The right-hand batter, who had a prolific run in the 2021-22 season, is yet to make a statement in the tournament. While he crossed the 40-run mark twice this season, he hasn't converted it into a big score. Wednesday was a perfect occasion for him to lead from the front and take the team forward. Coming in to bat at 76/2, he added 90 runs with Aparajith and another 40 more cumulatively with Washington Sundar and Vijay Shankar before he miscued a pull shot off Harshit Rana on a wicket that he felt was really good to bat on.

"Today was disappointing," Indrajith told this daily. "In the first match, we were about to declare when I got run out and the second time when I got to 40, it was a bad decision. Today was a situation where I could have converted, it was a mistake from my side," he added.

Delhi pacers took a leaf out of Tamil Nadu's book and employed the short-ball strategy effectively to dent the tourist's batting performance. Harshit was the pick of the bowlers on the day as he got rid of the middle-order trio — Aparajith, Indrajith and Washington. Earlier in the day, Harshit also tested the Tamil Nadu bowler's patience, scoring 26 runs from 33 balls while batting at No. 9.

As stumps were drawn, TN had seasoned campaigner Vijay and Pradosh Ranjan Paul in the middle with R Sai Kishore and Sandeep Warrier to follow. Indrajith said that there is very little to worry about the depth of their batting and it is all about how they perform on the day.

"Ability and confidence is there. To go out and execute is important. It is just about the initial period. Once you bat for 10-15 minutes or score a couple of boundaries, it becomes easier. It is all about getting that small start and then prolonging the partnerships. If we win the first hour, we will be in a comfortable position for the rest of the game," Indrajith signed off.

Brief scores: Delhi 303 in 97.1 overs (Pranshu 58, Vignesh 4/50) vs Tamil Nadu 214/5 in 54 overs (Indrajith 71, Aparajith 57, Rana 3/73)