Paul hits 113 to guide TN to 252/4 against Vidarbha on day 1

Coimbatore, Nov 1 (PTI) Pradosh Ranjan Paul continued his fine run with the bat, scoring yet another century as Tamil Nadu reached 252 for 4 at stumps on the opening day of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha here on Saturday.

Paul, who struck a career-best double hundred against Nagaland in the previous round, compiled a fluent 113 featuring 13 boundaries, while Baba Indrajith was unbeaten on 94 at close of play, seven runs short of his hundred.

Paul added 179 runs for the fourth wicket with Indrajith after Tamil Nadu elected to bat first on winning the toss.

The hosts were in early trouble at 18 for 2, with openers Vimal Kumar (2) and Athish SR (3) dismissed cheaply by Nachiket Bhute and Praful Hinge respectively.

Paul then joined hands with Andrew Siddarth C to steady the innings before the latter fell to Akshay Karnewar in the 30th over. The left-hander later forged a strong partnership with Indrajith to guide Tamil Nadu to safety.

At stumps, Shahrukh Khan was batting alongside Indrajith after Bhute trapped Paul leg-before in the 87th over.

In Cuttack, commanding half-centuries from Abhishek Reddy (76) and Srikar Bharat (93) helped Andhra post 222 for 3 on the opening day against Odisha.

Opting to bat, openers Reddy and Bharat shared a 140-run partnership to give Andhra a solid start before Badal Biswal (1/52) broke the stand, with Rajesh Mohanty taking the catch to dismiss Bharat.

Sambit S Baral (2/32) then struck twice in successive deliveries of the 55th over, removing Reddy and trapping skipper Ricky Bhui in front to leave Andhra at 186 for 3.

At stumps, Shaik Rasheed (25) and Kirdant Karan Shinde (16) were at the crease.

In Ranchi, play was curtailed due to bad light, with Nagaland reducing Jharkhand to 91 for 2 in 31 overs on a weather-hit opening day.

Opener Shikhar Mohan (42) and Virat Singh (16) were unbeaten at stumps, while Sharandeep Singh (22) and Kumar Suraj (9) were the two wickets to fall.

At the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, no play was possible due to a wet outfield following rain.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 252 for 4 in 88 overs (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 113, Baba Indrajith 94 batting; Nachiket Bhute 2/43) vs Vidarbha.

Andhra 222 for 3 in 68 overs (Srikar Bharat 93, Abhishek Reddy 76; Sambit S Baral 2/32) vs Odisha.

Jharkhand 91 for 2 in 31 overs (Shikhar Mohan 42 batting; Saurav S Kumar 1/15) vs Nagaland. PTI ATK TAP