Published: Oct 03, 2015, 03:32 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 03, 2015, 03:50 PM (IST)
Rahil Shah’s five-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu defeat Baroda by seven runs in a thriller in their Group B match of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2015-16 on Day three on Saturday. The match-winning performance from Shah over-showed Deepak Hooda’s quick 32 from 19 deliveries had given hopes to Baroda of successfully chasing down a mere total of 122, however, the home side came up with their best bowling towards the end, taking four crucial wickets in the last 5 runs. The result spoiled the game for Bharghav Bhatt, whose overall ten wickets in the game were not good enough to give Baroda a victory. Malolan Rangarajan’s three-wickets in the middle overs were the moments that had brought back the hosts into the game. The partnership between Hardik Pandya and Hooda for the sixth wicket should have continued till the end, the dismissal of the two took away the match from Baroda. Live Cricket Score, Tamil Nadu vs Baroda, Ranji Trophy 2015-16, Group B match, Day 3 at Chennai
The 20-year-old and Tamil Nadu’s debutant DT Chandrasekar, who has had an excellent start to his First-Class career, removed Hooda him in the 25th over for a 19-ball 32, when Baroda still needed 24 runs to win. And from there the contest was wide open, the result would have gone in any way. However, tailender batsmen Murtuja Vahora and Swapnil Singh failed to finish the job for their side.
While Pandya was dismissed in the 21st over when Baroda needed another 39 runs with just five wickets in hand. He was caught behind the wickets by Dinesh karthik and it was his 350th First-Class catch as a wicketkeeper. Pandya’s 17 runs from 17 balls included a four and an excellent six to Chandrasekar’s ball which was followed by his dismissal by the same bowler. The teenager bowler’s first match for his state will be in his memories for a long time, although his overall six wickets in the match were not good enough to lead Tamil Nadu to a victory.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu skipper Abhinav Mukund who had a very disappointing match. He was dismissed for a duck in both the innings. While he lasted for ten balls in the first innings, he went for a first-ball duck in the second innings. The toss won by the home side eventually proved to be a boon for the home side. Baroda next face Railways in their next fixture of Group B, Tamil Nadu go to Madhya Pradesh for their second game of Ranji Trophy 2015-16, both matches commencing October 8.
Brief Scores:
Baroda (Deepak Hooda 32, Kedar Devdhr 23; Rahil Shah 5-44, D T Chandrasekar 2-23) lose to Tamil Nadu by seven runs.
