Ranji Trophy: Sandeep leads Tamil Nadu fightback vs Andhra

CHENNAI: Sandeep Warrier led Tamil Nadu’s fightback against Andhra on Day 2 of the Group A Ranji Trophy match on Sunday.

Sandeep and P Vidyuth’s partnership toward the end of Day 1 helped Tamil Nadu post a decent total, and the former followed it up with a four-wicket haul (4/53) to help bundle out Andhra for 177. Trilok Nag, Sonu Yadav, and skipper Sai Kishore picked up two wickets each.

For Andhra, 21-year-old Shaik Rasheed stood tall with the bat, scoring 87 runs on Day 2 while others struggled to contribute.

In their second innings, Tamil Nadu reached 102/3 at stumps, with Pradosh Ranjan Paul (26) and Sai Kishore at the crease.

Elsewhere, young wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra struck a brilliant double century as Jharkhand piled up a massive total and then reduced Baroda to early trouble in their Ranji Trophy match on Sunday.

Playing in his 29th first-class match, the 21-year-old Kushagra — who was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 7.2 crore ahead of IPL 2024 before moving to Gujarat Titans for IPL 2025 — scored 234 off 367 balls as Jharkhand were bowled out for 506 in 140 overs on Day 2.

Right-arm pacer Sahil Raj (2/15) then dented Baroda’s top order, leaving them reeling at 78 for three as table-toppers Jharkhand tightened their grip on the game.

Resuming from 327 for five on Day 1, Kushagra, who was unbeaten on 133 overnight, completed his double century and shared a 118-run stand with Sahil Raj (39) for the seventh wicket.

Kushagra fell just short of his career-best score of 266, dismissed by Bhargav Bhatt after a knock that included 23 boundaries and four sixes. Jharkhand’s tail added just seven runs after his dismissal.

Baroda ended the day at 78/3, with Shashwat Rawat (20 not out) and Vishnu Solanki (28 not out) showing resistance. They still trail Jharkhand by 428 runs.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 182 and 102/3 in 29 overs (Balasubramaniam Sachin 51) vs Andhra 177 in 49 overs (Shaik Rasheed 87*, Sandeep Warrier 4/53)