Ranji Trophy: Tamil Nadu’s batting comes a cropper against Jharkhand on Day One
TN bowlers continued their fine show, dismissing the host for 185 with the in-form left-arm spinning duo of captain R Sai Kishore (3/42) and S Ajith Ram (3/47) sharing six wickets between them
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CHENNAI: Following the glorious high of a thumping win against Chandigarh last week, Tamil Nadu struggled against Jharkhand on the first day of its last league match of Elite Group D Ranji Trophy in Jamshedpur on Thursday.
TN bowlers continued their fine show, dismissing the host for 185 with the in-form left-arm spinning duo of captain R Sai Kishore (3/42) and S Ajith Ram (3/47) sharing six wickets between them. Off-spinner S Lakshay Jain, playing only his second Ranji match, impressed with two for 27. Pacer Mohammed took the remaining two scalps for 31.
Jharkhand opener Sharandeep Singh emerged the top-scorer with 52, while Anukul Roy chipped in with 46. TN’s batting then came a cropper, getting dismissed for 106, conceding a lead of 79. Right-arm offspinner Utkarsh Singh was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with an impressive haul of six for 30.
TN’s middle and lower order floundered in the face of disciplined effort from the host’s bowlers and to add their woes, seasoned opener N Jagadeesan got run out while middle order bulwark B Indrajith was forced to retire hurt in the 15th over with the team score on 57 for two. Opener Mohamed Ali top-scored with 37 (48b, 6x4).
In its second innings, Jharkhand lost the wicket of Kumar Suraj with Sai Kishore accounting for his scalp. The host reached five for one, extending its lead to 84 with nine wickets remaining.
Brief scores: Jharkhand 185 in 53.2 overs (S Singh 52, A Roy 46, V Singh 40, Sai Kishore 3/42, A Ram 3/47) & 5/1 in 2 overs vs Tamil Nadu 106 in 27.5 overs (U Singh 6/30)