First Class cricket is a pressure cooker whose whistle can remain silent for hours before suddenly shrieking. Tamil Nadu spent the morning on a low simmer, adding just 65 runs in 37 overs and losing a wicket to a run-out. After lunch, left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh had the batting side cooked, finishing with five for 51.
Tamil Nadu lost its last five wickets for 10 runs to fold for 274, conceding an 89-run first-innings lead to Rajasthan on the third day of the Elite Group-D Ranji Trophy match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Tuesday.
Kukna brought Andre Siddarth’s compact innings (81, 192b, 7x4) to an end, breaking his attritional 61-run sixth-wicket stand with Washington Sundar (26 n.o.). Andre went on the back foot to cut and missed. Kukna then cleaned up D. Deepesh and, two balls later, bowled No. 11 Saravana Kumar through the gate.
Andre scored the morning session’s only boundary, punching Hemant Kumar off the back foot to deep extra cover. Sonu Yadav (13) slipped while turning for a second run after Andre hit Manav Suthar towards deep midwicket, and was run out at the bowler’s end.
Andre’s innings was measured in small units: a single, a second run, even a third. He ducked under the short ball, left outside off, fell back on the good old block. His batting was an exercise in restraint — he raised his 10th First Class fifty off 145 balls — and judgement. In an over from pacer Chetan Sharma, he flicked for four to deep midwicket, left the next ball outside off, flicked for four to cow corner, and left the next ball outside off again.
Rajasthan lost four wickets in its second innings. Left-hander Sachin Yadav went for a drive and missed, allowing Sai Kishore to bowl him for a duck, while Sumit Godara (2) edged Saravana Kumar to Sonu at second slip.
Karan Lamba (13) had his middle stump uprooted by Sonu and Rohan Rajbhar (10), drawn out by a flighted delivery from Sai Kishore, was stumped by ‘keeper N. Jagadeesan.
The scores: Rajasthan — 1st innings: 363.
Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: Sai Sudharsan b Chetan 3, N. Jagadeesan c Rohan b Kukna 55, Pradosh Ranjan Paul b Kukna 58, B. Indrajith b Rohan 26, Andre Siddarth b Kukna 81, Sonu Yadav run out 13, Washington Sundar (not out) 26, Nidhish Rajagopal c Sumit b Akash 1, Sai Kishore c Sachin b Akash 2, Deepesh b Kukna 0, Saravana Kumar b Kukna 0; Extras (b-1, lb-3, nb-4, w-1): 9; Total (in 98.4 overs): 274.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-115, 3-121, 4-167, 5-203, 6-264, 7-265, 8-273, 9-274.
Rajasthan bowling: Akash 24-1-74-2, Chetan 15-1-50-1, Suthar 21-5-49-0, Hemant 9-0-30-0, Rohan 5-0-16-1, Kukna 24.4-5-51-5.
Rajasthan — 2nd innings: Sachin Yadav b Sai Kishore 0, Rohan Rajbhar st. Jagadeesan b Sai Kishore 10, Sumit Godara c Sonu b Saravana Kumar 2, Karan Lamba b Sonu 13, Mahipal Lomror (not out) 25, Kartik Sharma (not out) 30; Extras (lb-1): 1; Total (for four wkts. in 34 overs): 81.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-3, 3-25, 4-31.
Tamil Nadu bowling: Sai Kishore 14-2-25-2, Saravana Kumar 5-2-4-1, Washington 7-2-19-0, Sonu 5-0-16-1, Deepesh 3-0-16-0.