CHENNAI: Baba Indrajith struck an unbeaten 122 and shared an unbroken 184-run partnership with Vijay Shankar as hosts Tamil Nadu reached 291 for 4 against Punjab on the opening day of their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy match in Salem on Friday.
After electing to bat, TN were reduced to 64 for 3 and then 107 for 4 before Indrajith and Shankar revived their innings. The duo batted for 53.3 overs without separation. At stumps, Shankar, who came at No. 6, was batting on 85 with the help of six boundaries. Coming to bat at No. 4, Indrajith was much more quicker as his 122 not out came from 181 deliveries and was studded with six boundaries. Other Tamil Nadu batters did not make much of an impact. For Punjab, Sukhwinder Singh took two wickets for 61 runs while Siddarth Kaul and Abhishek Sharma got one each.
Maheep, Bhui lift Andhra
Already qualified for the quarterfinals, Andhra ended the day on 260/7 against Kerala on Day 1 of their last and seventh-round Elite Group B match in Vizianagaram. Despite losing his opening partner Rvenath Reddy early, Maheep Kumar scored 81 to resurrect Andhra’s innings. Skipper Ricky Bhui then slammed an unbeaten 79 to make sure his team bats again on the second day of the contest at Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex.
For Kerala, Basil Thampi (2/42) and Vaisakh Chandran (2/78) were the pick of the bowlers. Sachin Baby, who has been a prolific scorer for his side this season with 700 plus runs including three centuries, has been leading Kerala in the absence of Sanju Samson, who was rested for the inconsequential match as table toppers — Mumbai and Andhra — have already made it to the next round. The top two teams from each Elite Group will qualify directly for the quarterfinals scheduled to commence on February 23. The two bottom-placed teams from these four groups will be relegated at the end of the group stage.
Karnataka miss chance
In an Elite Group C match in Hubbali, hosts Karnataka squandered advantage despite reducing Chandigarh to 37 for three inside 15 overs on Day 1 as their opponents managed to score 219 for six at stumps.
Karan Kaila played a key role in helping Chandigarh recover with his 207-ball 79. Vijaykumar Vyshak and Hardik Raj claimed two wickets each for Karnataka. While Karnataka are table-toppers, Chandigarh face relegation as they are placed seventh.
Odisha batters make hay
Delhi cricket establishment continued with its dodgy selections even during an inconsequential final group league game as Odisha batters made merry, reaching 314 for 4 riding on a century from Subhransu Senapati.
Select scores
Group B: In Vizianagaram: Andhra 260/7 in 89.3 ovs (Maheep 81, Bhui 79 batting; Thampi 2/42, Nedumankuzhy Basil 2/78) vs Kerala. Group C: In Salem: Tamil Nadu 291/4 in 90 ovs (Indrajith 122 batting, Vijay 85 batting; Sukhwinder 2/61) vs Punjab; In Hubballi: Chandigarh 219/6 in 89 ovs (Kaila 79; Vyshak 2/48, Raj 2/54) vs Karnataka.Group D: In Puducherry: Himachal Pradesh 272/4 in 90 ovs (Gangta 100 batting, Chopra 61) vs Pondicherry; In Delhi: Odisha 314/4 in 88 ovs (Senapati 109 batting, Shantanu 76; Vijayran 2/64) vs Delhi.