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Sixteen wickets fell on Tuesday as Tamil Nadu and Railways moved towards a potentially early finish in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match at the MAC Stadium. Railways dismissed Tamil Nadu for 165 to take a 19-run first-innings lead, then lost nine wickets for 107 in their second innings, leaving them 126 runs ahead at stumps.
Tamil Nadu struggled to build partnerships against Railways’ spin attack, but B. Indrajith offered stubborn resistance from No. 4. He made 59 from 167 balls, with one boundary, while wickets fell regularly at the other end. His innings kept Tamil Nadu in the contest and delayed Railways’ push to secure a substantial first-innings advantage.
Raj Choudhary led the attack with 5/41 from 19.1 overs, including four maidens. Off-spinner Toufik Mondal supported him with 4/48 from 19 overs. Their combined nine wickets accounted for nearly the entire Tamil Nadu innings, demonstrating how effectively the Railways spinners used the assistance on offer from the surface.
Indrajith found meaningful support from J. Hemchudeshan, who scored 26 off 56 balls, including two fours and a six. The pair added 50 runs for the ninth wicket, a stand that lifted Tamil Nadu to 165 after it had been in danger of being dismissed for a much smaller total. Indrajith eventually fell stumped off Raj, completing the spinner’s five-wicket haul and ending the innings in 63.1 overs.
After conceding a 19-run lead, Tamil Nadu’s bowlers responded with a disciplined effort of their own. Captain and left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore took 4/38 from 17 overs, while Hemchudeshan claimed 3/21 in 15 overs. The pair helped reduce Railways to 107/9 by the close, preventing the visitors from building the kind of lead that might have taken the game out of reach.
Hemchudeshan made an impact with both bat and ball. After his useful lower-order contribution alongside Indrajith, the young off-spinner removed opener S. Yuvraj Singh for 42, Ravi Singh for 19 and Toufik Mondal for 11. His spell included five maidens and helped keep the scoring rate low as Railways attempted to extend their advantage.
Sai Kishore also struck repeatedly through the middle and lower order, dismissing Eshaan Goyal, Mohammad Saif, Bhargav Merai and Raj Choudhary. Railways’ innings was reduced to 100/9 in 48.3 overs before the score reached 107 in 51 overs, with Pradhyumn Parikh on two and Himanshu Sangwan on one at stumps.
Railways opener Yuvraj made 42 from 155 balls, scoring cautiously as wickets fell around him. Zubair Ali Khan, who had been a major contributor in the first innings, was dropped at short leg by Andre Siddarth before being bowled by S. Ajith Ram for 10. That dismissal carried a milestone: Ajith Ram’s wicket was his 100th in First-Class cricket.
Railways had begun the day with the advantage after posting 184 in the first innings. Tamil Nadu’s top order could not turn starts into a substantial total: N. Jagadeesan made 30, Pradosh Ranjan Paul scored 19 and R. Sai Kishore added 14, but the side depended heavily on Indrajith’s innings and the late ninth-wicket stand.
At stumps, Railways led by 126 runs with one second-innings wicket remaining. The visitors had only Pradhyumn Parikh and Himanshu Sangwan at the crease, and Tamil Nadu needed one more wicket to begin a chase. With scoring difficult throughout the day, even a modest target could present a challenge, particularly if the pitch continues to favour spin.
The match remains finely poised despite the number of wickets lost. Railways’ first-innings lead gives them a base, but Tamil Nadu’s response with Sai Kishore and Hemchudeshan has kept the contest alive. The final innings will test whether the home side can chase the target under pressure or whether Railways’ spinners have already created a decisive advantage.
