Published: Dec 01, 2015, 07:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 01, 2015, 07:13 PM (IST)
Dindgul (Tamil Nadu): Visitors Punjab took firm control of their Group B Ranji Trophy cricket match after bowling out Tamil Nadu for a meagre 68 and then extending their first-inning lead to 174 runs, as a staggering 21 wickets fell by the wayside on Tuesday. Punjab, who chose to bat after winning the toss, lost wickets at regular intervals to be all out for 206 in 57 overs at the NPR College Ground on day one of the match. DT Chandrasekar (3/43), Malolan Rangarajan (2/67) and Rahil Shah (2/68) were the main wicket-takers for the visiting side. UPDATES: Tamil Nadu vs Punjab, Ranji Trophy 2015-16, Group B match, Day 1 at Dindigul
Out of favour India player Yuvraj Singh top-scored for Punjab with 49 off 63 balls. When their turn to bat came, Tamil Nadu surrendered meekly to be bowled out in just 23.4 overs, with left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh (6/29) doing the star turn. Opening the bowling with Rajwinder, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bagged three for 30. J Koushik (30) was the only batsman to reach double digit in Tamil Nadu’s abysmal batting display. At stumps, Punjab were 36 for one in their second innings. COMPLETE COVERAGE: Ranji Trophy 2015-16
Punjab desperately need an outright win and get 6 points in order to progress to the next round. Even if they get 3 points with a first innings lead they can still qualify provided Uttar Pradesh does not beat Baroda with 6 points or Madhya Pradesh does not beat Andhra with a superior run rate. On the other hand, even an outright win will not guaruntee Tamil Nadu of a spot in the final eight.
