Tamil Nadu made optimum use of bowler-friendly situations to register a facile win towards Bengal and notch up its second consecutive win in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Sandeep Warrier and T. Natarajan broke Bengal’s again by choosing 5 wickets in the first 10 overs in a 38-over-a-side contest at the Brabourne Stadium. The Bengal batters by no means recovered from the early blow to fold up for a paltry 84 in the twenty fourth over.
Tamil Nadu then crossed the goal in the twentieth over after a little bit of a stutter. The five-wicket win, with 18.5 overs to spare, will increase the facet’s internet run-rate, which may come into the equation for the two qualification spots for the knockouts from Group- E.
With heavy in a single day rain delaying the begin of the recreation by two hours, it didn’t come as a shock that Dinesh Karthik opted to bowl the second the coin landed in his favour. It took T. Natarajan simply three balls to strike, when he uprooted Abhimanyu Easwaran’s off-stump with one which formed in.
In his subsequent, the second Akash Deep’s promotion to see off the new ball didn’t work with Vijay Shankar snaring a catch, a lightweight drizzle interrupted play.
At seven for 2, Warrier took management after the resumption. While Warrier and Natarajan pitched the ball in the channel, the Bengal batters performed away from the physique to maintain the TN slip cordon busy.
At 42 for 5, and the new-ball bowlers making manner for Vijay and B. Aparajith’s spin, the onus was on Shakir Gandhi and Shahbaz Ahmed to bail Bengal out.
However, Gandhi’s aerial heave resulted in a catch to T. Natarajan in the deep on the on-side. With the ball gripping into the floor, even the spinners made merry in restricted alternatives to make sure Bengal bowlers had too little to defend.
The Bengal tempo trio did bowl its coronary heart out. Ishan Porel and Mohammad Kaif picked two wickets every, with the latter being lucky to have been rewarded with Vijay’s wicket when the ball appeared to have hit him excessive on the pad and maybe sliding down the leg.
N. Jagadeesan’s wise knock ensured Tamil Nadu crossed the line with none actual scare.
Come Wednesday and Tamil Nadu will hope to proceed its successful run towards Baroda.