CHENNAI: Sonu Yadav’s four-wicket haul triggered Chandigarh’s first-innings collapse before left-arm spinner Ajith Ram tightened Tamil Nadu’s grip on the contest with figures of 4/32 in the second innings, putting the visitors within touching distance of seven points at the Sector-16 Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Chandigarh began the day on 49/3, hoping to bat through the day without much damage. However, Sonu struck in the second over of the day to trigger an astonishing collapse. The all-rounder ran through the lower order, with figures of 4/18 in under nine overs, as Tamil Nadu bowled the hosts for just 94 in 37.3 overs.
"The first target was to get them all out as quickly as possible. Within 20 overs of the day, we bowled them out, and that really set a good tone for our day,” Sonu tells DT Next after the day’s play.
"The plan was simple; with wickets staying a bit low, we wanted to attack the stumps. That is how I ended up picking up three bowled dismissals." It continued the 26-year-old’s solid run in the competition, after figures of 3/46 in the previous game against Railways.
Chandigarh were far more aggressive in the second innings, with the openers – Nehal Pajni (26) and Arjun Azad (60) – putting on a 73-run opening stand. Arjun’s wicket opened the floodgates for the hosts, as Ajith Ram picked up four quick wickets to put Tamil Nadu within touching distance of another invaluable seven points.
"Both of them [Sai Kishore and Ajith] bowl exceptionally well in tandem. They build pressure from both ends by keeping things tight, rather than just hunting for wickets. Ajith bowled tightly for almost 5 to 10 overs in the second innings; once that maiden breakthrough came, they built on it and kept taking wickets regularly."
In particular, Sonu was in praise of Sai Kishore’s captaincy, stating that "Sai has been doing a great job right from my debut. Even today, he was very proactive—making bowling changes at the right time and reading the match situation accurately throughout."
With tough games after the break, seven crucial points would put Tamil Nadu on joint-top alongside Mumbai with 21 points each.
Brief Scores: Chandigarh 94 all-out (Arjun 21; Sonu 4/18) & 189/7 f/o (Arjun 60, Manan 59; Ajith Ram 4/32) trails Tamil Nadu 571/7d by 288 runs