CRICKET | Indrajith’s opening salvo fires Tamil Nadu to an easy win

Tamil Nadu's six-hitting spree leads to a 43-run victory over Tripura in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener.

A six-hitting blitzkrieg by Tamil Nadu’s batters on a flat track paved the way for a 43-run win over Tripura in its opening Group B game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Saturday.

The team in yellow bludgeoned a record 13 sixes at the Holkar Stadium, eclipsing its previous best of 10 against Jharkhand in 2021. The chief protagonist in Tamil Nadu’s triumphant start was B. Indrajith, who slammed a career-best 78 off 39 balls, with five fours and as many sixes to boot.

He is known for his languid strokeplay, aided by supple wrists, but in a clash that began at 11 a.m., the 30-year-old, who said he was opening the batting for the first time, was all belligerence as he took on the Tripura bowlers.

With N. Jagadeesan also playing his part with a half-century that resulted in an 115-run stand, off just 57 balls for the second wicket, Tamil Nadu had the firepower to amass 234 for four.

In the run chase, Tripura had its moments thanks to Sridam Paul’s blazing effort (45, 20b, 7x4, 2x6) and late cameos from Rajat Dey and Manisankar Murasingh, but the task was a bridge too far. The team from the northeast finished on 191 for nine.

Indrajith had only played 23 T20 matches before this, with a highest score of 46. But on a placid pitch, Indrajith was willing to show another side to his game, which may prove timely given that the IPL mega auction is to be held over the next two days.

Besides the shots down the ground that sailed into the largely vacant stands, there was also cheekiness on display, as he moved across his stumps and paddle-swept seamer Ajay Sarkar for a six over short fine leg.