A robust punch down the bottom in direction of long-off, adopted by a boundary to succeed in a milestone. Arms raised, a bow — Shubman Gill-style. Tamil Nadu opener R. Vimal Khumar stood tall, soaking within the applause from his teammates after citing his maiden hundred (189, 224b, 28×4), whereas Pradosh Ranjan Paul quietly reached his personal landmark (156 batting, 246b, 19×4).
Their commanding 307-run second-wicket stand put Tamil Nadu firmly in management towards Nagaland on the opening day of the second-round Ranji Trophy Group A conflict on the BCCI Centre of Excellence Grounds in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Trendy and guaranteed, Vimal’s innings was a deal with to observe — fluent drives on each side of the wicket complemented by cuts that pierced the sector with precision.
Coming in at a vital juncture, he offered the steadiness the facet wanted on the prime. Drafted in after common opener B. Sachin was dominated out with chicken-pox, Vimal made probably the most of his alternative and located the right companion in Pradosh after S.R. Athish departed early.
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As soon as settled, the pair batted with authority, rotating the strike intelligently and punishing something unfastened, leaving the Nagaland bowlers — tempo and spin alike — struggling to search out solutions.
With the solar beating down and the pitch providing little help, Vimal shifted gears seamlessly to succeed in his 150 because the southern facet tightened its grip on the competition.
Nonetheless, the southpaw’s keep got here to an finish when Ronit Extra induced an outdoor edge — a tired-looking stroke in an try to up the ante — a gentle finish to an in any other case commanding innings.
C. Andre Siddarth then joined Pradosh, and the duo put collectively an unbeaten 62-run third-wicket affiliation, serving to Tamil Nadu finish the day in a commanding place at 399 for 2.
Printed on Oct 25, 2025