Ajay Singh Kukna's five-for undoes Andre Siddharth's 81 as Rajasthan seize 89-run lead over Tamil Nadu

Ajay Singh Kukna's five-for undoes Andre Siddharth's 81 as Rajasthan seize 89-run lead

JAIPUR: Left-arm spinner Ajay Singh Kukna bagged a five-wicket haul to help Rajasthan take a crucial 89-run first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Tuesday.

Rajasthan ended the eventful Day 3 at 81-4, with an overall lead of 170. Vice-captain Mahipal Lomror (25 batting) and Kartik Sharma (30 batting) held the fort with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 50 runs after the hosts were tottering at 31/4.

Tamil Nadu's cautious start undone

Tamil Nadu resumed at their overnight score of 167/4 with Andre Siddharth and Sonu Yadav at the crease. Eyeing a first-innings lead on a flat track, both batters took no risks and slowly built the innings. After adding just 36 runs in 24.5 overs, a terrible mix-up between them led to the wicket of Yadav.

Siddharth then tried to repair the damage alongside Washington Sundar, and the pair added 61 runs for the sixth wicket. But Kukna turned the contest with a gem of a delivery that uprooted the stumps of Siddharth for 81.

Batting collapse hands Rajasthan the advantage

From 264/5, Tamil Nadu lost their remaining wickets for 10 runs in 4.2 overs, an extraordinary batting collapse. Kukna (5-51) finished with his seventh five-wicket haul, while left-arm pacer Akash Singh was rewarded for his lion-hearted effort with two wickets.

Tamil Nadu tried to fight back with the ball, as Sai Kishore picked up two quick wickets with the new ball in Rajasthan's second innings. Pacers Saravana Kumar and Sonu Yadav took a wicket each, and hopes of a comeback were raised. However, the Kartik Sharma and Mahipal Lomror partnership's gutsy batting at the fag end of the day denied Tamil Nadu any further success.

Kukna pleased with the effort

"It was a special effort. I am happy to strike at the crucial juncture to help my team gain a vital lead. We didn't leak many runs when we were not getting wickets earlier in the day and that ultimately helped us. Manav and I both come from the same place (Sriganganagar) and we always enjoy bowling in tandem. We are in a good position now and can try for an outright win tomorrow," Kukna told TOI after the day's play.

Unless a dramatic batting collapse happens on Wednesday morning, it will be a herculean task for the Sai Kishore-led Tamil Nadu side to pull off a victory in the Elite Group D opening encounter.

Brief scores

Rajasthan 363 and 81/4 in 34 overs (Kartik Sharma 30 batting, Mahipal Lomror 25 batting, Karan Lamba 13, Rohan Rajbhar 10; Sai Kishore 2-25, Saravana Kumar 1-4, Sonu Yadav 1-16) vs Tamil Nadu 274 in 98.4 overs (C Andre Siddarth 81, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 58, Narayan Jagadeesan 55, Washington Sundar 26, Baba Indrajith 26; Ajay Singh Kukna 5-51, Akash Singh 2-74).