Manpreet rocks, TN batsmen roll over

Mohali, December 14 

All-rounder Vijay Shankar stood tall among the ruins with a knock of 71 as Tamil Nadu struggled to 213/9 against Punjab on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match here on Friday. Sent in to bat by the host, the visitors found the going tough against the pace trio of Manpreet Grewal, Sandeep Sharma and Baltej Singh. Grewal, in particular, was brilliant, finishing with an impressive 5/56.

Left-hander Abhinav Mukund (5) had a harrowing time at the crease before edging one to wicketkeeper Abhishek Gupta. N Jagadeesan tried to hit his way out of trouble but was trapped leg-before  by Baltej for 19, leaving Tamil Nadu tottering at 31/3. Baltej struck again two balls later, castling TN captain Baba Indrajith for a duck. While the Punjab pacers kept picking up wickets at regular intervals, Shankar played cautiously, and kept the innings going. — Agencies

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 213/9 in 84 overs (Vijay Shankar 71, M Mohammed 27; Manpreet Grewal 5 /56) vs Punjab.

Andhra 173 all out in 54.3 overs (Jyothisaikrishna 74, P Jaiswal 5/50) vs Himachal Pradesh 51/1 in 21 overs (P Chopra 32*). 

J&K 161 (Obaid Haroon 26, Ian Chauhan 23; AK Chahal 3/31); Haryana 129/5 (RP Sharma 41, Himanshu Rana 29; Umar Nazir 4/43).