CHENNAI: Half-centuries by Vijay Shankar (76) and C Andre Siddarth (94) propelled Tamil Nadu to post a modest 299 for 7 in 85 overs against Assam on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match played at Barsapara cricket stadium in Guwahati.
Put into bat Tamil Nadu lost their openers Suresh Lokeshwar and N Jagadeesan cheaply. The Assam new ball pair of Mukhtar Hussain and Darshan Rajbongshi used the conditions that were conducive for fast bowling to their advantage to make inroads early in the morning on Wednesday.
Lokeshwar fell to Darshan, while Mukhtar accounted for Jagadeesan. With Sai Sudharsan not available due to his India A duty, Tamil Nadu have not been able to draft a suitable player at the top of the order and thus have had poor starts.
Vijay Shankar, fresh from his century against Chhattisgarh, was in sublime touch today. He stitched useful stands with both Pardosh Ranjan Paul and Andre Siddarth. With Pradosh he added 66 runs for the third wicket and did a mini rescue act. "Pleased with the way the day went, keeping in mind the conditions. It went on well and it was good to post almost 300 runs on this surface," Tamil Nadu all-rounder told this daily.
The wicket for the game was not green but had some juice in it to trouble the batters and test their temperament. "The wicket was not that difficult as such to play upon. Yes, it was helpful for fast bowlers in the morning, one had to be patient and apply to score runs," he added.
The best phase for Tamil Nadu was when Vijay Shankar and Andre added 98 runs for the fourth wicket. Both well-settled batters were unlucky to miss a century.
Andre would feel dejected as he missed his maiden ton by just six runs. Andre who made his debut this season against Saurashtra seems to be improving with every outing. What is special about this youngster is that he can bat at any position and adapt to any situation. He was removed by Swarupam Purkayastha in the nervous 90s when he was trapped right in front.
"Andre was superb. He gave a fantastic display. He seems to be improving with every game. He applies well and also reads the situation deftly. We had a lot of understanding with each other and thus could forge a good stand," complimented the former Tamil Nadu captain.
The way the duo were batting one expected the visitors to post around 350 runs or so. "We did not have any target for the day in the mind. After losing a few wickets early we wanted to play as long as possible and go with the flow. My main aim was to contribute to the team and bat as long as possible.
Yes I am pleased with the way I am batting and certainly, the century in the last game has given me a lot of confidence," revealed Vijay Shankar. He was done in by change of pace to be castled by offie Swarupam. Mohammed Ali was batting on 27 and Sonu Yadav was giving him company on 12 when stumps were drawn.