CHENNAI: Baba Indrajith put his experience to effective use by making 77 not out (189b, 5x4) and more importantly, stayed until the very end to ensure a draw for Tamil Nadu against Vidarbha on the final day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'A' match played at CDCA-Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science ground, Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu were 233 for 6 in 89 overs when play ended.
Indrajith's 31st First Class half-century would be certainly ranked among his best as it came when Tamil Nadu badly needed it to save the game.
Coming in at 47 for 3 and with still about 60 overs or so left to draw the game, Indrajith applied himself, played with a lot of responsibility and was able to stitch small partnerships to upset the plans of Vidarbha.
Indrajith forged three consecutive fifty-run partnerships for 4th (52 runs with Athish SR), 5th (56 runs with M Shahrukh Khan) and 6th (52 runs with Mohamed Ali) to frustrate the visitors and deny them full points.
He played to the merit of the ball and eschewed strokeplay in order to cut risks and with single-minded focus, played session by session with the sole aim to draw the game. This dedication helped the hosts to bag one point.
Indrajith insisted that his focus was only on saving the game and rallying with his teammates to salvage a draw.
"This one of my best 50s and it served the team's cause. When I went in, my focus was to ensure that Vidarbha did not get a win. All my energies were diverted in saving the game and getting one point for Tamil Nadu. I was not bothered what my score was, I just wanted to play till the end and ensure a draw," Indrajith told The New Indian Express.
"We had some three to four good partnerships. The conversation that I had with the batters at the other end was that we should not give up and fight till the end to draw the game. I also told them that we should avoid risks and try to play as long as possible. While going for a draw the number of overs we play down is more important than the runs and luckily we managed a draw," added the former Tamil Nadu captain.
M Senthilnatan, chief coach of Tamil Nadu, lauded Indrajith for playing a mature innings.
"A hard fought game to get one point. When your top order fails, the task becomes difficult and someone from the middle order has to take the responsibility to do the job," said Senthilnathan.
"I'm glad that Indrajith took the responsibility and played a very calm and composed innings to serve the team's cause. The important thing was that he chose to stay till the very end and guide the team, a sign of maturity and it augurs well for the team," he added.
What helped the team was the small partnerships and the rock solid support that captain R Sai Kishore gave towards the end to remain not out on four after playing 47 balls.
"All the partnerships that we had were crucial. While playing out for a draw it is important to have some small partnerships going, in order to unsettle the plans of the opposition. We (team think tank) during the breaks and drinks interval kept cautioning the batters to not give up and take the battle till the very end. We told them to play to the merit of the ball and not be tempted to play loose shots. Luckily, it worked and we were able to bag one point," explained Senthilnathan.
