Every young fast bowler must learn to live with the unglamorous hours of first-class cricket. The long spells without wickets, the pace that fails to hurry batters, and the short ball that disappears to the boundary are all part of the apprenticeship.
For Tamil Nadu debutant Deepesh, the lesson came with a remarkable reward.
After 18.5 overs without a wicket, his persistence with the short ball brought him three wickets in his next eight deliveries (three for 89), triggering Rajasthan’s collapse.
The host side lost four wickets for seven runs in 29 balls, tumbling from 347 for five to 354 for nine, before being bowled out for 363 in the first session on the second day of the Elite Group-D Ranji Trophy match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Monday.
After Mahipal Lomror (66, 105b, 11×4), secure in his half-century, pulled Deepesh for four to deep square leg, the 18-year-old went short again, and this time Lomror found substitute Ajith Ram at deep backward square leg.
Deepesh was mobbed by his teammates, who cheered and congratulated him on his maiden first-class wicket. Kukna Ajay Singh (1) hooked another short ball to Nidhish Rajagopal at fine leg before skipper Manav Suthar (17) edged through to the keeper.
After 18.5 overs without a wicket, Deepesh’s persistence with the short ball brought him three wickets in his next eight deliveries (three for 89), triggering Rajasthan’s collapse.
| Photo Credit:
S. Prasanna Venkatesan
After 18.5 overs without a wicket, Deepesh’s persistence with the short ball brought him three wickets in his next eight deliveries (three for 89), triggering Rajasthan’s collapse.
| Photo Credit:
S. Prasanna Venkatesan
Tamil Nadu, however, suffered an early setback in its reply when Sai Sudharsan (3) played on to his stumps off 20-year-old debutant Chetan Sharma.
Jagadeesan (55, 99b, 5×4, 1×6) and Pradosh Ranjan Paul (58, 101b, 5×4) then added 104 for the second wicket. Jagadeesan took on left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, flicking him to cow corner for four and clearing the deep midwicket boundary.
Pradosh produced a pristine straight drive off pacer Hemant Kumar, and the pair raised their half-centuries after tea, Pradosh reaching the landmark off 70 balls and Jagadeesan off 93.
Jagadeesan holed out to long-off against left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh, who then bowled Pradosh around his legs. Debutant Rohan Rajbhar dismissed B. Indrajith (26) with his off-spin in the final over of the day.
Published on Oct 12, 2026
