JAIPUR: Mahipal Lomror scored a gritty 84 that helped Rajasthan secure three vital points against Tamil Nadu as the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match ended in a tame draw at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Wednesday. TN had to be happy with one point after they had conceded the 89-run first-innings lead on Tuesday.
Tamil Nadu needed a few quick wickets in the first session on Day 4 to give themselves a chance for victory but Mahipal and Kartik Sharma shattered their hopes with a solid 78-run stand for the fourth wicket. Extending their stay from 81/4 on Day 3, Mahipal and Kartik not only denied the visitors any wicket but also scored at a fairly quick pace to take the game beyond their reach.
By the time, Kartik (42: 75b, 4x4, 2x6) got out trying to sweep Sai Kishore for another boundary, the hosts were more or less in a safe zone. Ajay Singh Kukna then frustrated the opponents by providing solid support to Mahipal.
Mahipal’s second half-century of the match and his 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Kukna (32*: 79b, 3x4) closed the door on TN’s comeback bid. After Mahipal was finally dismissed for 84 (170b, 7x4), Manav Suthar declared the innings giving an impossible-looking target of 282 in less than two sessions.
The visitors did not make any effort to chase and settled for some batting practice reaching 73/0 at tea break. Sai Sudharsan, who got out for just 3 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 26, while fellow opener Narayan Jagadeesan made 45 not out, when the match was called off.
TN skipper Sai Kishore and newly-appointed coach Yo Mahesh did not seem too disappointed with the result.
“There are several positives from this season-opener. Deepesh Devendran impressed with his three-wicket haul on debut. Experienced seamer Saravana Kumar also made a strong comeback, while Andre Siddharth batted brilliantly to keep our hopes alive on the third day. Sai Kishore gave us early breakthroughs in the second essay,” Yo Mahesh said.
Sai Kishore felt the lower-order collapse put them on the backfoot. “We had a fairly good start with both Jagadeesan and Pradosh hitting fifties. Then Baba Indrajith and Andre kept us in the hunt but once that unfortunate run out of Sonu Yadav happened it did affect our march towards taking the first-innings lead. Rajasthan bowlers especially Kukna bowled really well,” said Sai Kishore.
Yo Mahesh rued the fact that they couldn’t make use of their chances.
“We had our chances but we couldn’t latch on to those. In the second innings we had Rajasthan reeling at 31/4 and we should have capitalised on it. Credit must be given to Mahipal and Kartik for the way they batted and frustrated us. The toss, too, played a critical role,” said Yo Mahesh.
Manav was pleased with the result and lauded his young team for getting the better of their strong opponents.
"Certainly it was a very good result for us. Tamil Nadu is traditionally a formidable side with a couple of India players in their ranks. We did really well to start with three points. It's a positive beginning for us in the season," Manav told TOI after the match.
Three players -- Rohan Rajbhar, Chetan Sharma and Hemant Kumar -- made their debut for Rajasthan, who also missed the services of regular bowlers like Khaleel Ahmed, Aniket Choudhary, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Chahar.
"We went into the match with an inexperienced side but debutants Rohan and Chetan did remarkably well. Even Karan Lamba returned to the side after two years and struck an important hundred. Kukna's five-wicket haul turned the match in our favour and Mahipal batted well in both the innings. Overall it was almost a perfect start for us," said Manav, who will leave for New Zealand in a couple of days to join India 'A' side.
BRIEF SCORES
Rajasthan 363 and 192/6 declared in 34 overs (Mahipal Lomror 84, Kartik Sharma 42, Ajay Singh Kukna 32*; Sai Kishore 3-50 ). Tamil Nadu 274 and 73/0 in 98.4 overs (Sai Sudharsan 26*, Narayan Jagadeesan 45*) Match drawn.
Points: Rajasthan 3; TN 1.
Tamil Nadu needed a few quick wickets in the first session on Day 4 to give themselves a chance for victory but Mahipal and Kartik Sharma shattered their hopes with a solid 78-run stand for the fourth wicket. Extending their stay from 81/4 on Day 3, Mahipal and Kartik not only denied the visitors any wicket but also scored at a fairly quick pace to take the game beyond their reach.
By the time, Kartik (42: 75b, 4x4, 2x6) got out trying to sweep Sai Kishore for another boundary, the hosts were more or less in a safe zone. Ajay Singh Kukna then frustrated the opponents by providing solid support to Mahipal.
Mahipal’s second half-century of the match and his 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Kukna (32*: 79b, 3x4) closed the door on TN’s comeback bid. After Mahipal was finally dismissed for 84 (170b, 7x4), Manav Suthar declared the innings giving an impossible-looking target of 282 in less than two sessions.
The visitors did not make any effort to chase and settled for some batting practice reaching 73/0 at tea break. Sai Sudharsan, who got out for just 3 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 26, while fellow opener Narayan Jagadeesan made 45 not out, when the match was called off.
TN skipper Sai Kishore and newly-appointed coach Yo Mahesh did not seem too disappointed with the result.
“There are several positives from this season-opener. Deepesh Devendran impressed with his three-wicket haul on debut. Experienced seamer Saravana Kumar also made a strong comeback, while Andre Siddharth batted brilliantly to keep our hopes alive on the third day. Sai Kishore gave us early breakthroughs in the second essay,” Yo Mahesh said.
Sai Kishore felt the lower-order collapse put them on the backfoot. “We had a fairly good start with both Jagadeesan and Pradosh hitting fifties. Then Baba Indrajith and Andre kept us in the hunt but once that unfortunate run out of Sonu Yadav happened it did affect our march towards taking the first-innings lead. Rajasthan bowlers especially Kukna bowled really well,” said Sai Kishore.
Yo Mahesh rued the fact that they couldn’t make use of their chances.
“We had our chances but we couldn’t latch on to those. In the second innings we had Rajasthan reeling at 31/4 and we should have capitalised on it. Credit must be given to Mahipal and Kartik for the way they batted and frustrated us. The toss, too, played a critical role,” said Yo Mahesh.
Manav was pleased with the result and lauded his young team for getting the better of their strong opponents.
"Certainly it was a very good result for us. Tamil Nadu is traditionally a formidable side with a couple of India players in their ranks. We did really well to start with three points. It's a positive beginning for us in the season," Manav told TOI after the match.
Three players -- Rohan Rajbhar, Chetan Sharma and Hemant Kumar -- made their debut for Rajasthan, who also missed the services of regular bowlers like Khaleel Ahmed, Aniket Choudhary, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Chahar.
"We went into the match with an inexperienced side but debutants Rohan and Chetan did remarkably well. Even Karan Lamba returned to the side after two years and struck an important hundred. Kukna's five-wicket haul turned the match in our favour and Mahipal batted well in both the innings. Overall it was almost a perfect start for us," said Manav, who will leave for New Zealand in a couple of days to join India 'A' side.
BRIEF SCORES
Rajasthan 363 and 192/6 declared in 34 overs (Mahipal Lomror 84, Kartik Sharma 42, Ajay Singh Kukna 32*; Sai Kishore 3-50 ). Tamil Nadu 274 and 73/0 in 98.4 overs (Sai Sudharsan 26*, Narayan Jagadeesan 45*) Match drawn.
Points: Rajasthan 3; TN 1.