Anything for the staff: Mohammed, with 85 runs to his title, was the dominant accomplice in the stand.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
On the opening day of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, M. Mohammed and Sandeep Warrier mixed to take 9 wickets between them to assist Tamil Nadu limit Gujarat to 236 in the first innings.
On day two, it was left to the duo to bail out TN with the bat in addition to from a precarious state of affairs of 119 for eight. Their sensational 116-run stand for the ninth wicket helped the customer ultimately take a 14-run lead at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium on Saturday.
Mohammed – who scalped a five-for on Friday – led the means with a scintillating 85 (99b, 11×4, 4×6), stuffed with highly effective strikes down the floor and some eye-catching drives by way of the off-side. At the different finish, Warrier (38) simply acquired behind the line of the ball in opposition to the quicks and appeared untroubled.
Mohammed took the bowlers on when peppered with the bouncers with clear pull pictures that sailed over the leg-side fence. He then went after medium-pacer Ripal Patel, lofting him down the floor and accumulating two fours and as many sixes, the final of which landed past the stadium roof and acquired him to his half-century in fashion. From there on, the duo performed sensibly to get inside two runs of taking the lead earlier than Mohammed was dismissed.
In the first session, the TN prime order was discovered wanting in opposition to the Gujarat pacers to be diminished to 18 for 4, with batters getting caught behind poking exterior the off-stump tentatively.
Left-arm seamer Arzan Nagwaswalla was significantly spectacular, taking three of the first 5 wickets earlier than leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi scalped 4, together with that off a well-set Vijay Shankar, bowled by way of the gate off a googly.
Ravi Bishnoi celebrates his wicket of Vijay Shankar.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
Later in the night, Warrier shone with the ball once more, taking three wickets in his first two overs as the host completed the day on 38 for 3, 24 runs forward, with the match evenly poised at the midway stage.
The scores: Gujarat- 1st innings: 236;
Tamil Nadu – 1st innings: B. Sachin c Urvil b Nagwaswalla 9, B. Sai Sudharsan c Hingrajia b Priyajitsing 1, Pradosh Ranjan Paul c Urvil b Nagwaswalla 35, B. Indrajith c Urvil b Gaja 4, Washington Sundar c Urvil b Nagwaswalla 1, Vijay Shankar b Bishnoi 33, N. Jagadeesan c Panchal b Bishnoi 25, R. Sai Kishore c Kshitij b Bishnoi 2, M. Mohammed c Gaja b Bishnoi 85, Sandeep Warrier c Hingrajia b Gaja 38, H. Trilok Nag (not out) 4, Extras (b-6, lb-3, w-2, nb-2): 13
Total (in 67.5 overs): 250
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-10, 3-17, 4-18, 5-71, 6-93, 7-101, 8-119, 9-235
Gujarat bowling: Gaja 16.4-3-63-2, Priyajitsing 14-4-41-1, Nagwaswalla 16.1-4-35-3, Bishnoi 17-0-73-4, Ripal 2-0-24-0, Hingrajia 2-0-5-0
Gujarat- 2nd innings: Priyank Panchal c Mohammed b Warrier 2, Aarya Desai c Vijay Shankar b Warrier 0, Manan Hingrajia batting 13, Kshitij Patel c Jagadeesan b Warrier 0, Umang Rohit Kumar batting 18, Extras (lb-4, nb-1): 5
Total (for 3 wickets in 13 overs): 38
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-6, 3-6,
TN bowling: Warrier 4-1-5-3, Trilok Nag 3-1-11-0, Sai Kishore 3-0-5-0, Mohammed 2-1-11-0, Washington 1-0-2-0.
