Home
Young batter Pradosh Ranjan Paul completed his first double century while left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh who featured for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as Tamil Nadu, took a firm grip of their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Nagaland.
Pradosh's maiden double century
Pradosh, batting at the overnight score of 156, resumed from where he left to score an unbeaten 201 off 314 deliveries, including 23 boundaries. Tamil Nadu skipper Sai Kishore declared the innings at 512 for 3 in 115 overs.
Gurjapneet Singh's hat-trick
On the other hand, Gurjapneet Singh, who featured in the two unofficial ODIs for Shreyas Iyer-led India A against Australia A at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, took a hat-trick to put Nagaland in a spot of bother with 150/4.
Hosts Nagaland are trailing by 362 runs, and though batting stalwart Dega Nischal put up a gritty show by scoring an unbeaten 80 but it was not enough for them to shift the momentum of the game.
Pradosh's effort on Day 2
Pradosh continued his brilliant batting on Day 2, turning an overnight century into a magnificent double hundred. Having built a solid foundation with a 307-run stand for the second wicket alongside opener Vimal Khumar, who made a classy 189 on the opening day, Pradosh showed great composure on Day 2. He looked fresh despite his long innings, choosing his shots carefully and punishing only the loose deliveries.
Tamil Nadu easily towards the 500-run mark before declaring their innings, much to the relief of the Nagaland bowlers, who had toiled hard through 115 overs with little success. The only wicket to fall on the day 2 was that of young batter C Andre Siddarth, who contributed a fluent 65 in just his 11th first-class game.
After his dismissal, Pradosh and the experienced Baba Indrajith (32 not out) added 51 runs before Tamil Nadu declared, adding 113 runs to their overnight score of 399/2.
Nagaland's batting vs Tamil Nadu
Nagaland’s reply got off to a disastrous start as fast bowler Gurjapneet Singh, born in Ludhiana and now a key part of Tamil Nadu’s attack, produced a dream spell. In just his sixth over, the 27-year-old dismissed opener Sedezhalie Rupero (6), Hem Chetri (0), and captain Rongsen Jonathan (0) off consecutive deliveries — sealing a sensational hat-trick and reducing Nagaland to 3 for 9.
He struck again soon after, removing experienced batter Chetan Bist to leave the visitors reeling at 4 for 31. But Dega Nischal and youngster Yugandhar Singh (58 not out off 161 balls) dug in to rescue some pride, stitching together an unbeaten 119-run partnership that steadied Nagaland’s innings by stumps.
Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 1st innings 512/3 decl in 115 overs (Vimal Khumar 189, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 201 not out, C Andre Siddarth 65, Baba Indrajith 32 not out) vs Nagaland 150 for 4 in 58 overs (Dega Nischal 80 not out, Yugandhar Singh 58 not out; Gurjapneet Singh 4/34).
ADVERTISEMENT
