Pradosh Ranjan Paul slammed a gritty 136 (279b, 12x4) to help Tamil Nadu secure a healthy 179-run lead over Uttarakhand on day two of the second-round Ranji Trophy (Elite Group-D) clash in Chennai on Monday (October 19, 2026).
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Known for his flamboyant style, Pradosh shunned his natural attacking instincts to grind down the opposition bowlers and put his team in a position of strength.
At stumps, Uttarakhand was 9 for one in its second innings after Sai Kishore dismissed opener Aarav Mahajan in the first over.
Earlier, resuming at 85 for two, Pradosh and B. Indrajith (77) showed strong technique and temperament to keep the visitors at bay in the opening session.
The duo relied on solid defence and were content to chip away gradually, without being aggressive, during their 171-run third-wicket alliance.
While the Uttarakhand tweakers bowled tight lines and attacked the stumps, their lengths were a touch too full as they tried to bowl into the rough, allowing the batters to get away without risk. Pradosh started the day by hitting J. Suchith down the track for a boundary and guided Janmejay Joshi to the third-man fence to bring up his half-century.
Unlike the first day, the pacers had little to work with. Though the spinners got some assistance, the slowness of the surface allowed the batters to comfortably play off the back foot.
Indrajith, known for his strong technique against spin, used the depth of the crease to work the bowlers away off the back foot. He also stepped down occasionally to smother the spin, forcing the bowlers off their lengths.
As he neared his century, Pradosh hit Aditya Rawat for a couple of boundaries down the ground to bring up his ninth First-Class ton.
The visitors, though, fought back with the second new ball after lunch. Left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra was the pick of the bowlers, scalping five for 118.
The harder ball enabled the spinners to extract more from the pitch, with the odd delivery keeping low as Mishra and off-spinner Avneesh Sudha (four for 34) ran through the middle and lower order.
Mishra trapped Indrajith leg-before with a delivery that scooted low, and then accounted for vice-captain Andre Siddarth, who dragged one onto his stumps while attempting a cut.
For the second game in succession, T.N. collapsed from a solid platform, going from 235 for two to 313 all out. However, Pradosh’s fine knock has ensured Sai Kishore’s men hold a decisive edge in this contest.
Scorecard
Uttarakhand — 1st innings: 134
Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: R. Vimal Khumar c Saurabh b Bora 0, N. Jagadeesan b Sudha 37, Pradosh Ranjan Paul lbw b Mishra 136, B. Indrajith lbw b Mishra 77, Andre Siddarth b Mishra 18, Nidhish Rajagopal b Avneesh 12, R. Sai Kishore c & b Mishra 3, J. Hemchudeshan b Avneesh 0, S. Ajith Ram lbw b Mishra 3, Gurjapneet Singh b Raichandani b Avneesh 7, Saravana Kumar not out 6; Extras (b-12, nb-2 ): 14
Total (in 109): 313.
Fall of wickets: 0-1, 2-64, 3-235, 4-257, 5-282, 6-295, 7-296, 8-298, 9-307
Uttarakhand bowling: Bora 16-3-37-1, Joshi 9-1-35-0, Aditya 7-1-27-0, Mishra 37-5-118-5, Avneesh 20-6-34-4, Suchith 19-5-44-0, Raichandani 1-0-6-0.
Uttarakhand - 2nd innings: Aarav Mahajan c Indrajith b Sai Kishore 0, Dega Nischal not out 5, Kunal Chandela not out 4,
Fall of wickets: 0-1
Total (for one wicket in 7 overs): 9
Tamil Nadu bowling: Sai Kishore 4-2-6-1, Gurjapneet Singh 1-0-1-0, Ajith Ram 2-0-2-0.