Bhubaneswar: Tamil Nadu strengthened their hold on the Ranji Trophy contest against Odisha with a disciplined all-round performance at the KIIT Cricket Stadium. Finishing Day 2 with a commanding lead of 164 runs, the visitors built the advantage through solid batting depth and incisive bowling, keeping Odisha under sustained pressure.
Odisha’s first innings folded for 148 in 51.2 overs, with Anil Parida top-scoring with a patient 56 off 128 balls. Sambit Baral chipped in with a handy 36, but the rest of the batting struggled to cope with Tamil Nadu’s bowling discipline. R Sonu Yadav was the standout performer, ripping through the Odisha middle order with figures of 5 for 30 from 14.2 overs, while P Vidyuth provided effective support with two wickets.
In reply, Tamil Nadu piled on 286 in their first innings, powered by Pradosh Ranjan Paul’s fluent 78 and Andre Siddarth’s composed 56. Odisha’s bowlers fought back through Debabrata Pradhan and Rajesh Mohanty, who claimed three wickets apiece, but the visitors still secured a sizeable first-innings lead.
Asked to bat again, Odisha made a cautious start in their second innings, reaching 26 for 1 in 17 overs by stumps on Day 2. S R Athish remained unbeaten on 12, while P Vidyuth provided support with 7 not out. Sambit Baral impressed with the ball, conceding just three runs in four overs and picking up a wicket, keeping Tamil Nadu firmly in control.
With time on their side and a hefty lead, Tamil Nadu will look to press for a result on Day 3, while Odisha faces an uphill task to stay alive in the contest.
PNN