Chennai, Jan 19: Rajasthan found themselves in a strong position on the opening day of the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu thanks to an unbeaten 221–run stand between openers Aakash Chopra (86*) and Vineet Saxena (120*). Saxena managed to strike his second century of the current Ranji Trophy season as Tamil Nadu went wicketless through the course of the day.

The day began with the defending champions winning the toss and opting to bat first on a placid Chepauk track. Openers Chopra and Saxena hit opposition captain L Balaji for 17 runs in the very first over of the innings in what was by far the most action-packed period of the day. However, after that initial flurry of runs, the Rajasthan openers settled into a less dramatic partnership; they went in to lunch at 89 for the loss of no wicket in 35 overs. Saxena even managed to bring up his fifth half-century of the current Ranji Trophy season before the interval. Former India opener Chopra, meanwhile, scored a defiant 36 runs, despite being hit on the face by a Jagannathan Kaushik delivery in the sixth over of the day.

Chopra picked up the pace in the post-lunch session bringing up his own half-century. But with Saxena scoring just 25 runs, Rajasthan managed only 65 runs from the 29 overs that were bowled in the second session.

The post-tea session was no better from a run-scoring point of view as the Rajasthan openers chose caution over aggression. Vineet Saxena brought up his century off 237 deliveries in the 82nd over by clipping Balaji for a boundary; Rajasthan raised the 200-run mark soon after in the 83rd over. At the end of Day 1, Rajasthan looked strong on 221 for no loss despite Balaji’s attempts to break the opening partnership by employing as many as seven bowlers.

Scorecard