Railways runs out of steam against Tamil Nadu

On Sunday, the away side had a catastrophic first session so much so that it couldn’t even stretch its innings to lunch, a breather which offers teams the opportunity to refuel their tank. After a dreadful display with the bat, Railways was bundled out by Tamil Nadu for a meagre 76 runs in 39.1 overs.

Ravichandran Ashwin (4/26) and left-arm orthodox Manimaran Siddharth (4/32), who was drafted into the playing eleven to make it a three-pronged spin attack, ran riot with the ball, derailing the visitor’s innings with eight breakthroughs between them.

R Sai Kishore (0/5), the other slow-bowling weapon in Tamil Nadu’s armoury, didn’t sweat much, having been called into action only late on for a couple of overs. But, the lone speedster in the line-up, T Natarajan (1/7), chipped in with a top-order scalp during his economical six-over spell.

In response to Railways’ paltry first innings score, Tamil Nadu, with 236 for four on the board at stumps on Day One, put itself in the driver’s seat with a 160-run advantage. Opening batsman Abhinav Mukund (100), turning out for the 100th time in the country’s premier domestic tournament, celebrated his milestone match with a stroke-filled century.

Right-handed opener L Suryapprakash (50) and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (57 batting) added insult to the tourist’s injury by posting fifties.

Home side on a roll

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Railways looked a pale shadow of the side that walloped 41-time champion Mumbai away fromhome recently.

Siddharth, relishing the role of opening the bowling, dismissed three of the visiting team’s top four batters, who combined for a mere 21 runs. The 21-year-old, turning out in Tamil Nadu whites for only the third time in his debut campaign, took ownership of the Anna Pavilion end for 17 overs during his initial spell.

Siddharth also removed middle-order batsman Dinesh Mor (6) in that period to seal a four-wicket haul, a feat achieved by Ashwin as well. The latter did his bit after the first drinks break as Railways slumped without a tinge of resistance. Only three of its players managed double-digit totals, with the highest partnership being 19, strung together by Saurabh Singh (22) and Shivendra Singh (10 not out) forthe ninth wicket.

Strolling out after lunch, the demoralised visitor was listless, spraying the balls all over the pitch. Tamil Nadu’s opening duo of Mukund and Suryapprakash made the most of the situation and thrived until tea, adding 156 runs for the first wicket. It was only at the start of the third session that Railways had somethingto cheer for.

The host’s pair vacated its place in the middle within a span of six deliveries, making way for Kaushik Gandhi (8) and Karthik. While southpaw Mukund’s ton off 115 balls was laced with 12 fours and three maximums, Suryapprakash’s innings included seven shots to the ropes. Although Gandhi and captain Baba Aparajith (13) fell cheaply, Karthik went about his business in fine fashion.

His attacking instincts were on show as the stumper struck at more than run-a-ball. The India international, in full flow with his blade, remained unbeaten at close of play alongside Baba Indrajith (2 batting). Karthik’s 55-ball 57 was glittered with five fours and two sixes.

Brief scores: Railways (1st innings) 76all-out in 39.1 overs (R Ashwin 4/26, M Siddharth 4/32) vs Tamil Nadu (1st innings) 236 for 4 in 53 overs (A Mukund 100, D Karthik 57*,L Suryapprakash 50)