Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Sai Kishore’s fifer keeps Tamil Nadu in command against Saurashtra on Day 1

Skipper R. Sai Kishore (five for 66) led from the front for Tamil Nadu as he scalped his ninth five-wicket haul in First Class cricket to bowl out Saurashtra for 183 on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals at the Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science ground here on Friday.

Sai, alongside fellow left-arm spinner Ajith Ram (three for 56), continued their dual act as they shared eight wickets between them and displayed good control over line and length on a pitch that is helping the slower bowlers.

“I will take 183 on any day. Honestly, we did not turn up like usual in the first hour,” Sai Kishore said, after the day’s play. “We pulled it back after that, and overall, the effort on the field was fantastic.”

“With the pressure that he (Ajith) puts at one end, either he will take wickets, or I will. Even when he is bowling long spells, his lengths are not going here and there. It gives a lot of control to the team. Only because of his bowling were we able to take wickets at the other end.”

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In reply, TN finished the day on 23 for one, losing opener Vimal Khumar, bowled by Chirag Jani.

Electing to bat, Harvik Desai (84) and Sheldon Jackson got the visitors off to a strong start, hitting a flurry of boundaries despite losing opener Kevin Jivrajani in the third over of the day. Harvik was flamboyant playing cuts, flicks and a couple of crisply-timed on-drives. He also used the sweep shots against the spinners effectively.

Sai Kishore then took charge when he bowled Jackson before Ajith Ram made his presence felt by accounting for the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara.

The two left-arm spinners tied down the experienced Indian batter, bowling a probing spell from either end, giving just two runs in 22 balls. It forced Pujara to charge down to Ajith to work one through the on-side but ended up giving a simple return catch.

Harvik and Arpit Vasavada got the defending champion’s innings back on track by stitching a 54-run stand for the fourth wicket to keep TN at bay until one hour after lunch.

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However, Ajith Ram once again gave the breakthrough for the hosts when he had Arpit trapped in front and then bowled the well-set Harvik with a quicker delivery that seemed to keep low to blow the game open.

Sai Kishore then quickly ran through the lower order, taking four of the last five wickets to get his second five-for this season.

“I wanted to bowl only three overs with Sandy (Sandeep Warrier), but as I saw the batters struggling, it kept extending, and then I got a few wickets as well,” he added.