Tamil Nadu gained three points for securing the first innings lead against Delhi on the final day of its Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Thursday.
TN batsman N Jagadeesan defends a ball during play on day four
Chennai:
Yadav looked good to join Sidhu in scoring a ton but fell to Sai Kishore for 91. Kishore got him caught in the short cover region, when playing a drive, ending a partnership of 170 runs off 340 balls for the seventh wicket. The left-arm spinner had Subodh Bhati caught off the first ball of his next over at slip by captain B Indrajith but his chances of hat-trick were foiled by Vikas Mishra. Mishra lasted 42 balls but didn’t trouble the scorers and was run-out going for a second run.
Navdeep Saini, the No.11, lasted only eight balls and his wicket gave Kishore a well-deserved five-wicket haul. Batting a second time, Tamil Nadu was 113 for 1 in 40 overs when it chose to declare and bring an end to the proceedings. Opener N Jagadeesan helped himself to 59 not out as the match meandered to a draw. Tamil Nadu secured three points to take its final tally after eight matches to 15 while Delhi finished with 14 points.
Reflecting on his first season as captain, B Indrajith said, “It was a tough season for us. I expected a better performance from our batsmen. They didn’t play to their potential. We failed to do well during the key moments. In the Bengal game, another 50 to 60 runs would have made a difference. As for bowling, we had a different combination in every match in the beginning of the season. Despite that, M Mohammed and R Sai Kishore played five to six matches on the trot, something which they haven’t done before.”
Indrajith reserved high praise for debutant Pradosh Ranjan Paul. “Pradosh is an exciting prospect. It’s important how he adapts to playing in away venues. He has made a good start to his Ranji career scoring 78. For an 18-year-old, he is really good,” observed the TN captain. On the areas his team needs to specifically work on, Indrajith touched upon the lack of depth in bowling.
“Our bench strength is not great in bowling. It’s an area of concern. That’s why we should start our preparation early for next season. A 20-25 day preparatory camp in conditions away from home ahead of the season will definitely help. Also, we need to improve our batting skills when we travel away from Chennai. We aren’t going to win the toss always and bowl first. We have to work on our mindset as well as skill. We scored more than 400 only twice in 12 innings this season. That’s disappointing. We didn’t do basic things well and can’t afford to get out softly after being set.”
Brief scores: Tamil Nadu (1st innings) 432 & (2nd innings) 113/1 decl. in 40 overs (N Jagadeesan 59*) drew with Delhi (1st innings) 336 in 133.1 overs (Jonty Sidhu 140*, Lalit Yadav 91, R Sai Kishore 5/90). Points: TN 3; Delhi 1.
Resuming at the overnight score of 268 for 6, Delhi’s hopes of overhauling the host’s first innings total of 432 rested on centurion Jonty Sidhu and Lalit Yadav extending their partnership. The duo started in a promising manner and played some attractive shots. The lanky Sidhu used his reach to counter the Tamil Nadu spinners — R Sai Kishore and Mohan Prasath. He also hit a superb straight six off Vijay Shankar.
Yadav looked good to join Sidhu in scoring a ton but fell to Sai Kishore for 91. Kishore got him caught in the short cover region, when playing a drive, ending a partnership of 170 runs off 340 balls for the seventh wicket. The left-arm spinner had Subodh Bhati caught off the first ball of his next over at slip by captain B Indrajith but his chances of hat-trick were foiled by Vikas Mishra. Mishra lasted 42 balls but didn’t trouble the scorers and was run-out going for a second run.
Navdeep Saini, the No.11, lasted only eight balls and his wicket gave Kishore a well-deserved five-wicket haul. Batting a second time, Tamil Nadu was 113 for 1 in 40 overs when it chose to declare and bring an end to the proceedings. Opener N Jagadeesan helped himself to 59 not out as the match meandered to a draw. Tamil Nadu secured three points to take its final tally after eight matches to 15 while Delhi finished with 14 points.
Reflecting on his first season as captain, B Indrajith said, “It was a tough season for us. I expected a better performance from our batsmen. They didn’t play to their potential. We failed to do well during the key moments. In the Bengal game, another 50 to 60 runs would have made a difference. As for bowling, we had a different combination in every match in the beginning of the season. Despite that, M Mohammed and R Sai Kishore played five to six matches on the trot, something which they haven’t done before.”
Indrajith reserved high praise for debutant Pradosh Ranjan Paul. “Pradosh is an exciting prospect. It’s important how he adapts to playing in away venues. He has made a good start to his Ranji career scoring 78. For an 18-year-old, he is really good,” observed the TN captain. On the areas his team needs to specifically work on, Indrajith touched upon the lack of depth in bowling.
“Our bench strength is not great in bowling. It’s an area of concern. That’s why we should start our preparation early for next season. A 20-25 day preparatory camp in conditions away from home ahead of the season will definitely help. Also, we need to improve our batting skills when we travel away from Chennai. We aren’t going to win the toss always and bowl first. We have to work on our mindset as well as skill. We scored more than 400 only twice in 12 innings this season. That’s disappointing. We didn’t do basic things well and can’t afford to get out softly after being set.”
Brief scores: Tamil Nadu (1st innings) 432 & (2nd innings) 113/1 decl. in 40 overs (N Jagadeesan 59*) drew with Delhi (1st innings) 336 in 133.1 overs (Jonty Sidhu 140*, Lalit Yadav 91, R Sai Kishore 5/90). Points: TN 3; Delhi 1.