A devastating spell of pace bowling by Lakshmipathy Balaji propelled former Ranji Trophy champions Tamil Nadu to an innings and nine runs victory over Rajasthan on just the second day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' tie in Jaipur on Sunday.
Balaji, who was ignored on Saturday night by the selectors for India's forthcoming tour of Australia, put the disappointment behind him and captured seven wickets for 42 runs as the hosts were bundled out for 107 in their second innings in 52.5 overs.
The win gave Tamil Nadu five points, including a bonus point for achieving an innings victory. Tamil Nadu had also won their first match against fellow South Zone team Karnataka by four wickets.
Earlier, in reply to Rajasthan's first innings score of 97, Tamil Nadu resumed their innings at the overnight score of 113 for five and went on to add another 100 runs, thanks to a fine rearguard action by S Sarath (44), Balaji (25) and M R Shriniwas (23), giving them a vital lead of 116 runs.
For Rajasthan, Rahul Kanwat was the most successful bowler, claiming three wickets for 40, while former India international Sanjeev Sharma claimed two for 44 and M Aslam got two for 59.
The home side was expected to put up some resistance in its second innings, but Balaji bowled with venom to fashion a comprehensive win for Tamil Nadu with two more days to spare.
Only opener Vineet Saxena played sensibly to make 43 runs. Sanjeev Sharma remained not out on 31.
Scoreboard:
Rajasthan (1st innings): 97
Tamil Nadu (1st innings, overnight 113-5):
S Suresh lbw b Mathur 0
S Ramesh c Saxena b Krishnakumar 5
S Sriram c Jhalani b Kanwat 24
S Badrinath c Anshu b Aslam 43
S Sarath c Saxena b Sanjeev 44
J R Madanagopal c Sanjeev b Shamsher 10
S Ganeshkumar c Khoda b Sanjeev 11
R Ramkumar c Saxena b Kanwat 9
L Balaji b Kanwat 25
M R Shriniwas b Aslam 23
P Raju not out 4
Extras: (b-12, nb-2, w-1) 15
TOTAL: (all out, 76.2 overs) 213
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-58, 4-86, 5-112, 6-139, 7-154, 8-156, 9-197
Bowling: Sumit Mathur 11-2-25-1, P Krishnakumar 4-1-15-1, Sanjeev Sharma 15-0-44-2, M Aslam 22-4-59-2, Rahul Kanwat 16.2-3-40-3, Shamsher Singh 8-4-18-1.
Rajasthan (2nd innings):
V Saxena b Balaji 43
N Doru b Balaji 5
R Jhalani c Madanagopal b Balaji 2
G Khoda c Raju b Shriniwas 2
Krishna Kumar c Ganesh b Balaji 3
A Jain c Raju b Suresh 6
R Kanwat c Raju b Suresh 0
Sanjeev Sharma not out 31
Shamsher Singh c Raju b Balaji 2
S Mathur c Badrinath b Balaji 0
M Aslam b Balaji 1
Extras: (lb-1, nb-11) 12
Total: (all out, 52.5 overs) 107
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-22, 3-26, 4-29, 5-43, 6-44, 7-75, 8-98, 9-98
Bowling: Balaji 18.5-9-42-7, Shriniwas 11-6-10-1, Suresh 9-4-12-2, Ramkumar 9-2-17-0, Ganeshkumar 5-0-25-0