Chennai: The writing is on the wall for hosts Tamil Nadu. Only a miracle can help them script a positive result against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy. A 100-minute blitzkrieg from middle-order batsman Ashok Menaria (62, 69 balls, 11x4s, 2x6s) powered Rajasthan to 307 for the loss of four wickets at the end of day three here on Tuesday.
The visitors are only 12 runs shy of taking the first innings lead on the final day with skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar (38*, 154 balls, 3x4s, 1x6s) and Rajesh Bishnoi (20*) at the crease.
Southpaw Menaria tore the TN spin attack apart an hour after lunch. The scoreboard read 177 for three when Menaria strode on to the wicket and at that stage, the TN spinners looked menacing, having claimed the previous three wickets for just 14 runs.
It was a mixture of Menaria chancing his arm against a few good balls as well as the spinners — R. Malolan, Rahil S. Shah and R. Aushik Srinivas — feeding him with either short ones or full deliveries.
The mandatory change of the cherry after 100 overs aided Menaria’s positive approach as the ball kept meeting the meat of his bat. The slashing blade of Menaria fetched three boundaries in an over of L. Balaji. One felt that it was the moment Rajasthan had wrestled the momentum back from TN.
Menaria, on 34, survived a huge appeal for a catch at short-leg off Aushik and if not for that one indecisive approach when he was caught in two minds at the crease, he played an innings of power and precision.
As many as 11 fours and two sixes — most in a session so far in the match —were hit in the 18 overs faced by the left-handed duo of Kanitkar-Menaria in the post-lunch session.
The confidence of the 23-year-old was so high that he took on the long-on fielder and whacked left-arm spinner Aushik into the terrace. Call it an inspiring move or an act of desperation from Balaji, the Tamil Nadu skipper brought in a new face that fetched him a prized wicket.
Medium pacer Vijay Shankar trapped the raging Menaria in his third ball of the match with Rajasthan requiring only 48 runs to overhaul TN’s first innings score. Surprisingly, it took Balaji as many as 119 overs to bring on the all-rounder while part-time spinner S. Badrinath was in action as early as in the first session of play.
Looking at the statistics, four wickets on a third-day track at Chepauk for the home side doesn’t make for a good reading. TN coach W.V. Raman said “his bowlers threw whatever they could have and credit must go to the Rajasthan batsmen for the way they came out on top.” Malolan (48-17-103-1) was the lone bright spot for the home team as he relentlessly strove for wickets.
Even though Vineet Saxena (83) and Siddharth Saraf (63) forged a 150-plus partnership, they never looked comfortable against the three spinners of TN. Loud appeals, edges not carrying to the slips and balls flying close to the stumps on numerous occasions marked their stay.
It took 81.1 overs to separate the opening partnership. Off-spinner Malolan induced an edge from Saraf and R. Prasanna did the rest at silly point. Soon after lunch left-arm spinner Rahil removed Saxeena, caught behind by Dinesh Karthik, and then cleaned up Robin Bist (3).
That it wasn’t Tamil Nadu’s day became obvious when a delivery that beat the batsman and wicketkeeper crashed into the helmet kept on the ground, resulting in five penalty runs to Rajasthan.
SCOREBOARD:
Tamil Nadu (1st innings): 318
Rajasthan (1st innings): Siddharth Saraf c Prasanna b Malolan 63, Vineet Saxena c Dinesh Karthik b Rahil S. Shah 83, Hrishikesh Kanitkar (batting) 38, Robin Bist b Rahil S. Shah 3, Ashok Menaria lbw Vijay Shankar 62, Rajesh Bishnoi 20 (batting).
Extras: (b24, lb6, nb2, w1, p5) 38. Total (for four wickets in 134.1 overs) 307.
FoW: 1-163, 2-171, 3-177, 4-270.
Bowling: Balaji 14-6-26-0 Rahil S. Shah 32-11-59-2 Aushik Srinivas 30-13-60-0, Malolan 48-17-103-1, Aparajith 1-0-8-0, Mukund 1-0-1-0, S. Badrinath 4-0-9-0, Vijay Shankar 4.1-3-6-1.
