Ranji Trophy: Tamil Nadu-Baroda game meanders to a draw

The Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Baroda ends in a draw, with both teams securing points.

One of the quirks of multi-day cricket is the compulsion to continue playing until a given time despite there being no possibility of a result. Tamil Nadu and Baroda faced such a situation and went through the grind for two sessions on the last day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match, playing out a dull draw to bring the curtains down on their domestic season at the Salem Cricket Foundation ground on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu, by virtue of having taken the first-innings lead on the penultimate day, pocketed three points, while Baroda added one more to the kitty as the two sides finished sixth and fourth in their group, respectively.

Considering there was nothing at stake, it was a chance for the players to pursue some personal milestones.

Resuming at 411 for seven, the home team was bowled out for 449, taking a 74-run lead. Overnight batter Nidhish S. Rajagopal (52) scored his second half-century in as many games.

For Baroda, off-spinner Mahesh Pithiya took the final two wickets to return figures of six for 118, his seventh First Class five-wicket haul.

The visitors’ openers, Jyotsnil Singh (55 n.o.) and Shivalik Sharma (59 n.o.), made full use of the rare freedom to play without pressure, stitching together a 124-run unbroken partnership.