Ajith Ram’s seven-wicket haul propels Tamil Nadu to innings-and-260-run win over Chandigarh
Left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram took seven wickets as Tamil Nadu completed an innings-and-260-run victory over Chandigarh in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D fourth-round match at the Sector-16 Ground in Chandigarh on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu wrapped up the contest in just 47 deliveries on the final morning, sealing a one-sided win that was their third consecutive victory this season.
Left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram continued from where he left off on Wednesday, dismissing Rohit Dhanda and Nikhil Sharma in the same over before returning to send back Jagjit Sandhu and bring the curtains down on a one-sided contest.
There was an off-field moment at the presentation ceremony when Pradosh Ranjan Paul produced an encore of his own. Adjudged Player of the Match for his double-century, he requested that the honour be given to teammate Ajith Ram, just as he had done last season for Nagaland’s Imliwati Lemtur following his match-saving hundred at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Following the victory, head coach Yo Mahesh and skipper R. Sai Kishore spoke to The Hindu about how things have fallen into place for their side this season. "Credit to the support staff for creating an environment where we have a lot of freedom to express ourselves. We feel secure. Because of that energy, a lot of things are going our way," said Sai Kishore. "Historically, we’ve always had a very skilled and talented bunch of cricketers. Whenever we have played as a team, we’ve got results going our way," he said. "Everyone is gelling together. Everyone is happy for each other’s success," he said.
The scores: Tamil Nadu – 1st innings: 571 for seven decl. Chandigarh – 1st innings: 94. Chandigarh – 2nd innings: Nehal Pajni c Ajitesh b Sai Kishore 26, Arjun Azad st Jagadeesan b Ajith Ram 60, Manan Vohra lbw b Saravana Kumar 59, Arjit Pannu c & b Ajith Ram 9, Akshit Rana lbw b Ajith Ram 13, Bhagmender Lather c Indrajith b Ajith Ram 0, Chiragvir Dhindsa c Ajitesh b Sai Kishore 1, Nikhil Sharma lbw b Ajith Ram 16, Rohit Dhanda c Ajitesh b Ajith Ram 1, Nishunk Birla (not out) 4, Jagjit Sandhu b Ajith Ram 15;
Extras (b-3, lb-9, w-1, nb-1): 14; Total in 64.5 overs: 218. Fall of wickets: 1-73, 2-122, 3-155, 4-174, 5-174, 6-175, 7-185, 8-193, 9-194.
Tamil Nadu bowling: Gurjapneet 10-1-44-0, Saravana Kumar 11-2-34-1, Sai Kishore 15-2-47-2, Sonu 8-3-28-0, Ajith Ram 19.5-5-48-7, Pradosh 1-0-5-0. The victory fetched TN seven points, including a bonus point, taking its tally to 21.
