Tamil Nadu on top against Baroda

M Mohammed (7/68) was ruthless with the ball as Tamil Nadu ruled the roost against Baroda after first day’s play in the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 Group ‘B’ encounter at the Moti Bagh Stadium here on Tuesday.

Having won the toss and opted to bowl on a seam-friendly surface, Baba Aparajith-led Tamil Nadu had a field day with right-arm medium pacer Mohammed running through the Baroda batting line-up, which could only make 174 in 51.4 overs. Replying to the host’s opening innings total, the away side was 135 without loss in 31 overs at stumps on Day One.

Openers Abhinav Mukund (73 batting) and L Suryapprakash (61 batting) continued their rich vein of form, piling more misery on Baroda. Asked to bat first in challenging conditions, the home team showed little resistance in the first session as its players made their way back to the pavilion one after the other in quick succession.

Mohammed, who opened the bowling alongside Abhishek Tanwar (2/37), dismissed three of the top-four batsmen, who contributed a combined 30 runs. Skipper and all-rounder Krunal Pandya (4), returning to the state side after his India ‘A’ commitments, too disappointed with the bat, making just four runs.

Mohammed continued on his merry way, picking up wickets almost at will. When players headed in for the first breather – lunch – Baroda had only 95 runs on the board for the loss of seven wickets. No.9 batter Atit Steth (53) showed grit after the break as his entertaining 60-ball knock included six fours and one maximum.

Had it not been for his efforts, the host wouldn’t even have got to 174. Anureet Singh (25), who walked in at No.10, chipped in with 25 runs, which was the second highest individual score for Baroda. Having completely dominated the first phase of play, Tamil Nadu walked out to bat with bundles of confidence.

Mukund and Suryapprakash, who did well against Railways at home with a century and fifty respectively, picked up from where they left off. The left-right combination punished the home side, which used seven bowlers but had no success. While Mukund’s 89-ball 73 was laced with 14 boundaries, Suryapprakash’s 97-ball 61 had 12 shots to the fence.

Sitting on top of the game after the opening day, Tamil Nadu, which has a very slim chance of making it to the next stage, is expected to go for its second outright victory.

Brief scores: Baroda (1st innings) 174 all-out in 51.4 overs (A Sheth 53, M Mohammed 7/68); Tamil Nadu (1st innings) 135 for no loss in 31 overs (A Mukund 73*, L Suryapprakash 61*).