Chennai, Oct 29:
Vice-captain Andre Siddarth struck an unbeaten 56 to guide Tamil Nadu to a five-wicket victory over Railways in their Ranji Trophy Group D encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. The win earned Tamil Nadu six points and took its tally to 14 points.
Chasing a target of 128, Tamil Nadu reached 130/5 in 59.1 overs after being tested by Railways off-spinner Toufik Mondal, who claimed four wickets for 50 runs. Siddarth remained calm during the tense chase and struck the winning boundary through the off-side.
Railways, who had scored 184 in their first innings, were bowled out for 108 in the second innings. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore led Tamil Nadu’s attack with four wickets for 39 runs, while Ajith Ram took the final wicket to bring the innings to a close.
Tamil Nadu’s chase got off to an uncertain start. N Jagadeesan managed only 12 off 34 balls before being bowled by Mondal. Opener SR Athish scored 21 off 48 deliveries but fell after attempting an aggressive shot, leaving Tamil Nadu at 37/2.
The hosts slipped further to 39/3 following the dismissal of Sonu Yadav, forcing Baba Indrajith and Siddarth to rebuild the innings. Indrajith contributed a patient 23, and the pair added 50 runs from 146 balls to steady the chase.
Mondal returned after lunch to dismiss Indrajith and Pradosh Ranjan Paul in quick succession, leaving Tamil Nadu needing 39 more runs with five wickets down. Siddarth then took responsibility for the chase alongside Vimal Khumar, who had endured two ducks earlier in the match.
Vimal struggled initially and was applauded when he finally opened his account after facing 17 deliveries. The pair stayed at the crease to take Tamil Nadu past the target, with Siddarth finishing the match in composed fashion.