Ajith Ram follows his century with four wickets as Tamil Nadu win by an innings and 259 runs

Tamil Nadu needed less than a session on the fourth morning to finish Chandigarh off and complete a win by an innings and 259 runs at the Sector 16 Stadium

Chandigarh resumed the final day of the Elite Group D match on 189 for 7, still 288 runs behind, and lasted a little under eight overs before they were bowled out for 218.

The win was set up two days earlier, when Tamil Nadu declared on 571 for 7 and then dismissed Chandigarh for 94 in 37.3 overs to earn the follow-on.

Pradosh Paul made 208 in that first innings and Ajith Ram finished unbeaten on 115; the left-arm spinner then took 4-32 when Chandigarh batted again.

Paul's double hundred sets the total

Tamil Nadu won the toss, chose to bat and occupied the crease for 154 overs.

Paul's 208 was the innings that carried the total, and Ajith Ram's unbeaten century turned a large score into a decisive one before the declaration at 571 for 7.

It left Chandigarh with the rest of the match to bat out, and they did not survive two sessions of it.

Sonu Yadav rips through the reply

Chandigarh's first innings lasted 37.3 overs. Sonu Yadav removed Arjit Pannu and Bhagmender Lather early and finished with 4 for 18 from 8.3 overs, three of his wickets bowled.

Saravana Kumar took 2 for 21 and the captain, Sai Kishore, 2 for 14 as the innings closed on 94 and Tamil Nadu enforced the follow-on.

Sonu Yadav said the side had not expected 14 wickets to fall in a single day, and put it down to the bowlers using the conditions better and holding a straight line.

He compared the spell with his earlier effort against Railways at Chepauk, pointing to the bounce and carry on offer and to the support he had from Saravana Kumar and Sai Kishore.

The openers make Tamil Nadu wait

Following on 477 behind, Chandigarh batted with far more conviction. Their openers put on 73.

Arjun Azad made 60 from 90 balls with eight fours and a six, and the captain, Manan Vohra, 59 from 72 with 11 fours.

The pair added 82 for the second wicket to take Chandigarh to 155 for 2, with Nehal Pajni contributing 26 at the top.

Five wickets for 30 runs

From 155 for 2, Chandigarh lost five wickets for 30 runs and were 185 for 7.

Ajith Ram had Azad stumped by N Jagadeesan as the batter advanced at him, and also accounted for Pannu, who made 9 from 57 balls, and Lather, to finish with 4 for 32.

Saravana Kumar trapped Vohra lbw, and Sai Kishore, who took 2 for 41 in the innings, removed Chiragvir Dhindsa shortly before lunch. G Ajitesh took a catch at forward short-leg during the slide.

Ajith Ram said he had drawn Azad forward with flight before pushing the ball wider as the batter advanced, and that a consistent line and sustained pressure on the new batters brought the rest of his wickets.

He described the effort after the follow-on as a collective one.

A brief fourth morning

Chandigarh's last three wickets added 29 runs on the final day, and the innings closed on 218 in 64.5 overs.

The margin is the widest of this round's completed matches bar one, behind only Karnataka's innings-and-314-run win over Assam in Guwahati.

Scorecard: Tamil Nadu 571 for 7 declared (Pradosh Paul 208, Ajith Ram 115 not out); Chandigarh 94 (Sonu Yadav 4-18) and 218 (Ajith Ram 4-32). Tamil Nadu won by an innings and 259 runs.

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