Jan. 3: Rajasthan reaped rich rewards for casting aside flair and flash. The obvious intent was to consolidate and they achieved it by dour batting on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu here.
Invited to use the dry surface first, the hosts finished on a satisfying 236/1 with opener Aakash Chopra holding fort with a solid 115 (376m, 252b, 13x4). Vineet Saxena who made 72 (286m, 204b, 9x4, 1x6) shared a 181-runs stand (409b) for the first wicket with Chopra.
The match commenced 30 minutes behind schedule, the overcast conditions tempting Dinesh Karthik to play four specialist seamers and he obliged. The medium pacers were rotated regularly but it did not have the desired effect on the openers. The length was relatively short and Chopra collecting 60 runs behind the wicket was apt reflection.
Sunil Sam and R. Suthesh were good in patches but were unable to sustain the pressure. Brief scores: Rajashtan 236/1 in 85 overs (Aakash Chopra batting 115, Vineet Saxena 72) vs Tamil Nadu.