CHENNAI: Picking up from where they left, Tamil Nadu U23’s openers, Athish SR (137) and KTA Madhava Prasad (150no) put the side in commanding position after day two, on 368/1, 189 runs ahead of Rest of India’s first innings showing here at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

Starting the day on 45/0, Athish took some time initially against the quicks (overnight 35*) before taking total control of the situation out in the middle. The left-handed batter took calculative risks against the quick, and was particularly harsh on Nikhil Giri, against whom he hit 37 runs. 

Athish also took on the left-arm spinners, Emanjot Singh Chahal and Varun Singh Bhuie en route to his half-century, which he celebrated in fine fashion, mimicking Indian opener Shubman Gill. "Two days ago, my dad sent me Shubman Gill's celebration. So it was actually a pre-planned celebration,” Athish said after the clash. 

“Before this match, I had done a lot of visualization, manifestation, and writing affirmations. I think that helped in this game. Because of that, I had a strong confidence that something big was going to come my way in this match. That’s why I was able to prepare my celebration beforehand."

On the conditions on offer, Athish adds that it was much better to bat on compared to day one. "I’m definitely happy. The wicket was considerably better than in the first innings for batters, even though there was some initial movement for pacers. Once the ball got older, both [Madhava and Athish] of us capitalised.” 

Once Athish was dismissed, Madhava continued his merry way, combining with Kiran Karthikeyan for a 118-run unbeaten second-wicket stand, with Tamil Nadu’s lead swelling by 189 runs.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu U23 368/1 in 100 overs (KTA Madhava Prasad 150no, Athish 137, Kiran 56no) leads Rest of India U23 179 in 71.5 overs (Angkrish 51; Rathi 6/27) by 189 runs