CSK Star Slams Stunning 150, Puts Tamil Nadu In Driving Seat vs Chandigarh In Ranji Trophy

All-rounder Vijay Shankar blasted an unbeaten 150 as Tamil Nadu closed in on an outright win after declaring at 305 for 5 and reducing Chandigarh to 113 for 5 on day 3 of their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match here on Saturday. In a clash between the two table-toppers, Shankar struck 12 fours and five sixes in his 171-ball innings, while Narayan Jagadeesan contributed 89 at the top as Tamil Nadu recovered from a mini-collapse to set Chandigarh a daunting target of 403.

This century marked Shankar's 11th first-class ton and second of the season.

Chandigarh, who had been bowled out for 204 in their first innings, faced a tough challenge as they were reduced to 113 for 5 in 33 overs. Skipper Manan Vohra was battling on 47, but his team still required 290 runs to win.

At stumps, Vohra was at the crease with Vishu Kashyap (4).

For Tamil Nadu, skipper Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (2/38) and S Ajith Ram (2/46) took two wickets each, while M Mohammed (1/13) accounted for one.

Resuming the day at 27 for 2, overnight batter Jagadeesan witnessed Ajith Ram (7) and Baba Indrajith (3) being dismissed cheaply.

Shankar then joined Jagadeesan and forged a 152-run partnership to steady the innings. Andre Siddarth also contributed with an unbeaten 36.

Chhattisgarh lead by 59 runs against Jharkhand

In Jamshedpur, Anuj Tiwary (66) and Ashutosh Singh (64) scored fifties as Chhattisgarh reached 205 for 4 in their second innings, taking a 59-run lead against Jharkhand on day 3.

Jharkhand, resuming at 304 for 4, were all out for 376 in 118.2 overs.

Sumit Ruikar (4/87) was the pick of the bowlers, while Gagandeep Singh and Ashish Chouhan took two wickets each. Jharkhand had gained a 146-run first-innings lead.

At stumps, Sanjeet Desai was on 23,