An unbeaten 57-run sixth wicket stand between Yousuf Pathan and Pinal Shah helped Baroda take seven-run first innings lead over Tamil Nadu on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match in Vadodara on Friday.
Yousuf (31 not out) and Shah (22 not out) steadied the Baroda ship to take the score to 124 for five at stumps after bowling out Tamil Nadu for a paltry 117 in 41 overs.
In the low scoring affair, which saw wickets of both sides tumble like pack of cards, Baroda lost their top five batsmen for mere 67 runs. But from thereon, Yousuf and Shah played cautiously to resurrect the hosts' innings.
Baroda skipper Connor Williams also showed grit with the bat and made 31 runs off 88 balls before he was trapped in front of the wicket by pacer P Amarnath.
However, things could have been different if Tamil Nadu skipper Dinesh Karthik had latched on to a catch of Shah when Baroda was at a score of 93. The missed chance later proved costly for the visitors as both Yousuf and Shah milked the bowlers with singles and doubles without taking any risk to gain the crucial first innings lead.
Amaranth was the pick of Tamil Nadu bowlers, claiming three wickets for 39.
Earlier opting to bat, Tamil Nadu innings started on a disastrous note with medium pacer Salim Yusuf Veragi claiming a hat-trick to bundle out the visitors for 117.
Veragi picked five wickets conceding just 24 runs in his 11.2-over spell. Ajitesh Argal too impressed with the new ball, scalping three wickets for 39 runs.
Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 1st innings: 117 all out (Arun Karthik 26, Abhinav Mukund 19, Veragi 5/24, Argal (3/39).
Baroda 1st innings: 124 for five (Yousuf Pathan batting 31, Pinal Shah batting 22, Amarnath 3/39).
