Gurjapneet, Sai Put Tamil Nadu In Command
Tamil Nadu opted to bowl under overcast skies, with the start delayed by an hour following heavy overnight rain in the city: Reports
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu made the most of the conditions to seize control on the opening day of their second-round Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.
Left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh (4 for 34) came up with a lethal opening spell before skipper R. Sai Kishore (4 for 40) ripped through the middle and lower order as Uttarakhand were bowled out for 134. Tamil Nadu finished the day comfortably placed at 85 for two.
Tamil Nadu opted to bowl under overcast skies, with the start delayed by an hour following heavy overnight rain in the city. The red-soil surface offered good bounce and some assistance for the spinners, conditions the hosts exploited to telling effect.
Gurjapneet set the tone with a superb opening spell, dismissing openers Aarav Mahajan and Dega Nischal inside his first three overs. The pacer varied his angles intelligently, switching between bowling around and over the wicket to keep the batters guessing.
Explaining his approach, Gurjapneet said he relied on instinct and constantly assessed the batters' movements and reactions to decide which angle to use.
“I just go by instinct. I might feel that I should come over the wicket for the next ball, depending on the batter's footwork and how he is reacting. I keep thinking about whether I should bowl over or around the wicket. The batter might be prepared for one angle, so I try to change it and keep him guessing,” he said.
Gurjapneet then had Uttarakhand skipper Kunal Chandela caught at slip by B. Indrajith to claim his third wicket and leave the visitors in trouble.
Left-arm spinner Sai took over from there, removing Lakshya Raichandani to ensure Uttarakhand went into lunch at 41 for four. The misery continued after the break, with the visitors slipping to 44 for six as Sai tightened his grip on the innings.
Avneesh Sudha, however, offered some resistance with a fighting 54. He joined Mayank Mishra in a seventh-wicket partnership worth 66 runs, providing Uttarakhand a brief respite after their top order had crumbled. Sai eventually ended Sudha's innings, and the hosts wrapped up the tail.
Tamil Nadu, though, suffered an early setback in reply when opener Vimal Khumar fell for a duck in the first over, caught behind off Devendra Bora. N. Jagadeesan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul steadied the innings with a 64-run stand for the second wicket before Jagadeesan departed for 37, bowled by Sudha.
Pradosh (37 not out) and Indrajith (9 not out) saw Tamil Nadu through to stumps without further damage, putting the hosts firmly in control after a dominant day with the ball.
