Riding high on an unbeaten half-century from Vijay Shankar, Tamil Nadu scored 192 for 3 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Maharashtra in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Opting to bat on a dull Eden Gardens strip, Tamil Nadu's star-studded batting line-up scored at snail's pace until Shankar hit some strokes en route to his 97-ball unbeaten 56, to end the day on 192 for three in 87 overs.
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Giving Shankar support at the other end was senior teammate Dinesh Karthik with an unbeaten 48 off 156 balls. The duo put together an unbeaten 102 runs from 207 balls.
"It's even-steven now. I'm happy with the way we bowled, we have to take early wickets tomorrow," Maharashtra coach David Andrews said.
Given the docile conditions, the Tamil Nadu batsmen opted for a cautious approach and kept consuming deliveries.
India Test opener Murali Vijay took as many as 109 balls for his 28, before he finally lost his patience and edged an away going Dominic Joseph delivery to Maharashtra wicketkeeper and skipper Rohit Motwani in the post-lunch session.
Vijay's opening partner and Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund (23 from 79 balls) was a shade better, but he also lost patience in the process and threw away his wicket.
Maharashtra pace spearhead Samad Fallah got into the thick of action when he dismissed Baba Aparajith, who was the slowest among all natsmen, consuming 81 deliveries for his 20.
Maharashtra almost got another wicket in Karthik, who, on nine, looked to have edged one behind the stumps but the appeal was turned down by the umpire in what appeared a dubious decision.
Tamil Nadu scored at less than a two run-rate in the morning and post-lunch session before Shankar -- fresh from his 111 against Vidarbha in the quarter-finals -- took the run-rate past two.
Brief scores:
Tamil Nadu: 192 for 3 in 87 overs (Vijay Shankar batting 56, Dinesh Karthik batting 48)
Image: Dinesh Karthik (left) and Vijay Shankar run between wickets
Photograph: PTI
