Sai Kishore took a hat-trick in the 43rd over of Uttarakhand’s second innings and finished with 10 for 74 as Tamil Nadu won their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match at Chepauk by an innings and 66 runs inside three days.
Chennai, India: Uttarakhand were 103 for 5 and still breathing when Kishore ran in at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Three deliveries later they were 103 for 8, and the match was effectively over.
A platform built on patience
Tamil Nadu won the toss and chose to field, and the decision paid off quickly. Kishore took 4 for 40 in 18 overs and Gurjapneet Singh added 4 for 34 as Uttarakhand were bowled out for 134 in 56.2 overs.
Tamil Nadu then batted long. Pradosh Ranjan Paul made 136 off 279 balls and Baba Indrajith added 77, lifting the hosts to 313 in 109 overs. The innings carried a lead of 179 and left Uttarakhand batting to avoid an innings defeat.
Three balls that ended the contest
That task grew impossible once Kishore took over. Uttarakhand reached 103 for 5 in their second innings, then lost Lakshya Raichandani, Saurabh Rawat and Aditya Rawat with successive deliveries in the 43rd over. The hat-trick left the visitors at 103 for 8.
Uttarakhand were bowled out for 113 in 45.4 overs. Kishore returned 6 for 34 in 16 overs, giving him match figures of 10 for 74.
What the win means
The result ended the match with a day to spare. Paul, whose century anchored the first innings, was named player of the match. For Kishore, it was a match-defining spell: ten wickets, including a hat-trick, in a three-day finish.
Tamil Nadu have not won the Ranji Trophy since 1987-88, and they will need more days like this one to end that wait. The same round has already produced Chinmay Sutar’s unbeaten 400 for Mizoram and Ayush Badoni’s 217 for Delhi, and Kishore’s hat-trick added a bowling highlight to a batting-heavy round.
Result: Tamil Nadu 313 (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 136, Baba Indrajith 77) beat Uttarakhand 134 (Sai Kishore 4/40, Gurjapneet Singh 4/34) and 113 (Sai Kishore 6/34) by an innings and 66 runs. Player of the match: Pradosh Ranjan Paul.
