Under the leadership of captain R Sai Kishore, Tamil Nadu gained the upper hand in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal clash against Saurashtra, bolstered by significant half-centuries from Baba Indrajith and Boopathi Kumar on February 24.
Their collective performance propelled Tamil Nadu to a score of 300/6 by the close of play on the match's second day, establishing a lead of 117 runs with four wickets remaining in their first innings.
Night-watchman Sai Kishore dazzles with bat
Starting the day at 23/1, the pair of night-watchman Sai Kishore (60) and opener Narayan Jagadeesan (37) crafted a second-wicket stand of 54 runs until Narayan Jagadeesan was dismissed LBW by Parth Bhut, with the team's total at 63.
Faced with challenges at 85 for three following Pradosh Ranjan Paul's (13) departure to Parth Bhut, Sai Kishore and Indrajith (80) joined forces to contribute 49 runs for the fourth wicket, stabilizing their team's innings.
Sai Kishore, who had earlier taken five wickets in Saurashtra's first innings, reached his third first-class fifty but was later bowled by Jaydev Unadkat.
Then, Boopathi Kumar (65) and Indrajith put together a critical 119-run partnership for the fifth wicket, steering Tamil Nadu towards a commanding position.
Baba Indrajith misses out of century
Indrajith was on the verge of scoring his 17th First-Class century but was dismissed by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Saurashtra's leading wicket-taker this season, with Tamil Nadu's score at 253 for five.
Shortly after, Boopathi Kumar fell to Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, adding another 14 runs to the total.
Vijay Shankar (14 not out) and Mohamed Ali (17 not out) were at the crease when play ended, ensuring Tamil Nadu ended the day in a strong position.
Saurashtra's bowlers put in a united effort, with all five bowlers claiming wickets during the day's play.
Karun Nair's impressive 90 for Vidarbha
In other match, Karun Nair's impressive 90-run effort stood out as Vidarbha compiled a total of 460 all out in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Karnataka.
Starting the day at 261 for three, following centuries by Atharva Taide and a near-century by Yash Rathod (93), Vidarbha capitalized on Nair's performance to achieve a substantial first-innings score.
Karnataka concluded the day at 98 for two, with Ravikumar Samarth and Nikin Jose at the crease scoring 43 and 20, respectively, still trailing by 362 runs.
Early in the day, Vidarbha's score moved to 319 for five, after losing Akshay Wadkar (16) and Mohit Kale (16), the latter falling to Hardik Raj.
Nair, alongside Aditya Sarwate (26), contributed 55 runs before Sarwate was taken out by Vidwath Kaverappa, who ended up with four wickets for 99 runs. Kaverappa also claimed Nair's crucial wicket, leaving him just 10 runs shy of his 19th first-class century.
Karnataka's innings began uncertainly, with captain Mayank Agarwal dismissed for a duck by Aditya Thakare, leaving the team at 4 for one.
However, a 59-run stand between Ravikumar Samarth and KV Aneesh (34) brought some stability, until Yash Thakur broke through, dismissing Aneesh with the team's score at 63.
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