: A patient century by Test discard Abhinav Mukund and his 155-run partnership with captain Baba Indrajith (86) helped Tamil Nadu make 215 for 3 in 90 overs at stumps on day one against Delhi in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match here Monday.
Mukund, who was dropped when on 97 by Lalit Yadav off Navdeep Saina, reached his ton with a glorious drive through the covers of Shivam Sharma in the 87th over.
The stylish southpaw and Indrajith, who hit 11 fours, came together with the host in a spot of bother at 42 for 2, negotiated the bowling with a mix of caution and aggression.
Indrajith, in particular, started slowly before growing in confidence in the company of Mukund, who essayed some elegant shots.
The TN skipper, who was let off on 21 at first slip, made the most of that lapse to record yet another half-century.
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Speaking at the end of the day, Indrajith said he was happy that his partnership with Abhinav helped the team to overcome the wobbly start.
"When I walked out to bat, we were in a spot of bother. We needed a big partnership. The wicket was offering something for the spinners and there was good bounce.
The pitch will deteriorate since it's a red soil wicket and it will take turn from day two," the 24-year old right-hander said.
Indrajith played cautiously while Mukund hit his stride early in the innings and kept the scoreboard moving.
The left-handed opener reached his 50 in 102 balls and was on the lookout for runs though he lost fellow opener N Jagadeesan, who fell going for a big hit of left-arm spinner Vikas Sharma.
Baba Aparajith (6) too didn't last long as he was stumped by Anuj Sharma when he stepped out to a delivery from Shivam Sharma.
Mukund and Indrajith, who put on 155 runs from 350 balls for the third wicket, made sure the Delhi bowlers didn't find any success in the second session.
Their solid stand helped the host recover from two early losses and end the day in a good position.
Indrajith, who was looking good to score his 10th first class ton, was snapped up by Dhruv Shorey for 86 to give Mishra his second wicket.
Mukund and all-rounder Vijay Shankar (8 batting, 43 balls) ensured the team survived without any further losses despite the Delhi bowlers exerting pressure.
Brief scores (at end of day 1): Tamil Nadu 215 for 3 in 90 overs (Abhinav Mukund 104 batting (244 balls, 11x4), B Indrajith 86 (199 balls 11x4, Vikas Mishra 2 for 71) vs Delhi.
(Toss: TN).
At Amatar: Himachal 257 for 7 in 87 overs (A R Kalsi 89 batting, Rishi Dhawan 58, M D Nideesh 4 for 81) vs Kerala.
(Toss: Kerala).
At Indore: Andhra 132 all out in 54.3 overs (D B Prashanth Kumar 29, Ishwar Pandey 4 for 43, Kumar Kartikeya Singh 3 for 23, Gourav Yadav 3 for 21) vs Madhya Pradesh.
(Toss: MP).
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