CHENNAI: It was a disappointing day for Tamil Nadu as they managed to bag a lead of just 48 runs over Andhra on Day three of the Elite group Ranji Trophy match played at Sri Ramakrishna College Grounds, Coimbatore. With Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar in the middle when the day began, a lot was expected from the experienced pair to help the hosts secure a sizable lead, but that was not to be.
Washington, who was in good touch, ran himself out, while former Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar too perished for 26. Tamil Nadu still had hopes on Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Sai Kishore, who have the ability to put some runs against their name, but the duo did not trouble the scores. From 273/4, they were all out for 345, with Andhra medium-pacer K Nithish Kumar Reddy taking four wickets.
“Yes, I was disappointed with the small lead that we managed to get. With the depth in our batting, we expected a solid lead. Had Washy not been run out, perhaps we would have had another 100 runs more lead. But that is the nature of the game,” said a disappointed M Venkataramana, the Tamil Nadu head coach.
However, TN kept control with the ball as they kept Andhra to 162/5 in 53 overs with Ricky Bhui batting on 62. Despite doing some tinkering with the batting order, Andhra's top order could not make an impact. Skipper Hanuma Vihari (26) opened the batting with Abhishek Reddy, but the move did not work.
Abhishek fell to Sandeep Warrier and Hanuma Vihari to Vijay Shankar. “We managed to keep the top order of Andhra under check and got wickets at regular intervals. With just about 100 runs, we managed to get four wickets on a surface which still looks good,” said Venkataramana.
On Friday, Andhra's hope rests on Bhui as they are ahead by just 114 runs. Should he get a big score, it could result in Tamil Nadu not having enough time to chase down the target like in their previous game. “We need to pick wickets early on the final day. Our task will be to pick the remaining wickets with just about another 100 runs and chase down the target,”' said Venkataramana.
“Having said that, I think Sandeep Warrier will be the bowler who can give us vital breakthroughs in the morning on Friday. He has been bowling at a lively pace and has been able to extract good bounce and movement from the surface. The first hour will be crucial, should we manage to make in-roads, then our task will be easy,” he signed off-.