Karthik, Gandhi steer TN to 262/4 on day one against MP

Dinesk Karthik missed out on a ton by just five runs while Kaushik Gandhi hit an unbeaten 71 to help Tamil Nadu overcome early jitters and reach a commanding 262 for four against Madhya Pradesh on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match here.
Put in to bat by Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu got off to a disastrous start, losing both their openers Washington Sundar (0) and skipper Abhinav Mukund (0) for a duck, to be reeling at two for one.
But Gandhi came to the team's rescue with a patient and responsible knock, and in the able company of Vijay Shankar, consolidated Tamil Nadu's innings.

The duo put on 53-run stand together for the third wicket before Shankar got out after scoring run-a-ball 41 with the help of seven boundaries.
Unfazed by Shankar's dismissal, Gandhi coupled with Karthik and the two shared a crucial 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket to bail Tamil Nadu out of trouble.
Karthik, who played a quick knock, however, missed out on a well-deserved hundred, getting out on 95 that came off 153 deliveries and was studded with 15 hits to the fence.

Gandhi continued to play with a lot of patience and managed to remain unbeaten till the end of the day's play and also found another able partner in Baba Indrajith.

While Gandhi was batting on 71, Indrajith was on 44 when the stumps were drawn.
For Madhya Pradesh, Chandrakant Sakure (2/47) finished with two wickets.
Brief scores:
Tamil Nadu 1st innings: 262 for four in 85 overs (Dinesk Karthik 95, Kaushik Gandhi 71 batting, Baba Indrajith 44 batting; Chandrakant Sakure 2/47).