Opening batsman M Vijay's superb 179 and his stand of 143 with Sridharan Sharath for the fifth wicket helped Tamil Nadu make 474 for nine declared in their first innings on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Andhra in Chennai on Saturday.

The visitors, in reply, were 21 for the loss of  L N Prasad's wicket for 4.

M S K Prasad (8) and A S K Varma (0) were at the crease when stumps were drawn.

Resuming at 260 for four, Vijay and Sharath kept the scoreboard ticking at a faster rate.

Vijay, who seemed set for a deserving double hundred, played a reckless swipe at makeshift medium pacer A S K Varma.

The 22-year old Vijay, who made his first-class debut in the last match against Delhi [Images], offered a simple catch behind to wicketkeeper Prasad.

His 179 runs came from 386 balls with 18 fours and two sixes.

Sharath, who hit five boundaries, was adjudged leg before wicket to Saraswati Reddy for 53.

Tamil Nadu captain S Badrinath was the other notable contributor with 69 on the opening day.

Brief scores:

Tamil Nadu first innings: 474 for 9 decl (M Vijay 179, Badrinath 69, H Badani 31, Sharath 53 and D Kalya Krishna 3-80).

Andhra first innings: 21 for 1.