Sai Sudharsan falls for 3 as Tamil Nadu stay in hunt at 167/4 vs Rajasthan

Sudharsan's forgettable Ranji return

JAIPUR: Drafted into the Tamil Nadu side at the last moment, India batter Sai Sudharsan endured a forgettable day as the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group D contest against Rajasthan remained evenly poised at the halfway stage.

Replying to Rajasthan's first-innings total of 363, Tamil Nadu reached 167 for 4 at stumps on Day 2 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Monday, still needing 197 runs to secure a first-innings lead.

Sudharsan, who was absent when Tamil Nadu opened their campaign, had an early injury scare. The India batter suffered a leg injury while fielding in the covers, stopping a drive from Karan Lamba. He was in visible discomfort and had to be helped off the field by a support-staff member, with the team physio rushing to attend to him.

Though he did not return to the field during Rajasthan's innings, Sudharsan recovered sufficiently to open the batting. His stay at the crease, however, lasted just 10 balls — debutant pacer Chetan Sharma cleaned him up for 3.

Jagadeesan and Pradosh steady the innings

Narayan Jagadeesan (55 off 99 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Pradosh Ranjan Paul (58 off 101 balls, 5x4) then struck half-centuries apiece to bring stability. The left-right pairing added 104 runs for the second wicket before Ajay Singh Kukna struck twice in the space of four overs to remove both set batters.

Kukna first forced Jagadeesan to loft straight to long-off fielder Rohan Rajbhar, the wicketkeeper-batter failing to read the flight. He then bowled Pradosh around his legs. Baba Indrajith and C Andre Siddarth attempted to rebuild with a 46-run stand, but just as it seemed Tamil Nadu would close the day without further damage, part-time off-spinner Rohan Rajbhar castled Indrajith around his legs as the ball turned sharply after pitching.

At stumps, Andre Siddarth (21 not out) and nightwatchman Sonu Yadav (0 not out) were at the crease.

Rajasthan's lower-order collapse

Earlier, resuming on their overnight score of 286 for 4, Rajasthan squandered a strong position, adding just 77 runs to be bowled out for 363 in 115.3 overs. At one stage the hosts looked set for a 400-plus total at 347 for 5, but lost their last five wickets for only 16 runs.

Lamba, the star of Day 1 with an unbeaten century, could not add much, trapped in front by Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Sonu Yadav for 113. Mahipal Lomror completed a half-century before being caught by substitute S Ajith Ram off Deepesh Devendran for 66, triggering a lower-order collapse.

Teenage pace sensation Deepesh, 18, claimed 3 for 89 on his first-class debut after going wicketless on Sunday. "I didn't feel bad for not picking any wicket in my first 19 overs. Even then, the coaches backed me, saying you bowl giving your full effort, don't feel bad about leaking runs. So I did that. I gave full effort to see what happens. So this gave a very good result. I concentrated both on pace and accuracy," Deepesh told TOI after the day's play.

Suthar eyes early breakthroughs

Rajasthan skipper Manav Suthar praised his inexperienced bowling attack for keeping the opposition in check. "Our bowlers really bowled well and didn't concede many runs. The match is evenly balanced right now. If we manage to take a couple of wickets early tomorrow morning, we certainly have a chance of taking the first-innings lead," Suthar said.

Tamil Nadu, boosted by the arrival of India allrounder Washington Sundar, will look to push for the lead on Day 3.

Brief Scores

Rajasthan 363 in 115.3 overs (Karan Lamba 113, Mahipal Lomror 66, Sumit Godara 49; Saravana Kumar 3-68, Deepesh Devendran 3-89, Washington Sundar 2-58). Tamil Nadu 167/4 in 50 overs (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 58, Narayan Jagadeesan 55, C Andre Siddarth 21*; Ajay Singh Kukna 2-31).