Dinesh Karthik and K.B. Arun Karthick smashed centuries to power Vijay CC to a commanding 356 for six at stumps on day one of the TNCA I division Elite group semifinal clash against Young Stars CC on Tuesday.
Having decided to bat, Vijay began disastrously losing opener B. Aparajith and No. 3 Kaushik Gandhi — both didn’t trouble the scorers — with just 14 runs on the board.
Dinesh and Arun then slowly resurrected the innings, taking the team to lunch at 76 without further hiccups.
In the post-lunch session, Dinesh cut loose, going after the Young Stars spinners, driving and going over the infield with style and ease.
Going after spinnersDinesh, who was on 30 at lunch, added 73 runs off just 49 balls to race to his hundred. The wicketkeeper-batsman never allowed the spinners to settle in.
He hit left-arm spinner Suresh Prabhu for 18 runs in one over that included two sixes and a four.
He was eventually dismissed three short of his 150, caught at third man by A.C. Prathiban off the medium-pacer B. Ayyappa.
At the other end, opener Arun played a solid innings, rotating the strike well and cashing in on loose deliveries to bring up his hundred.
He was, however, lucky to have been dropped twice, first in the slips when he was on 45 and then on 55 at mid-on.
Kavin, Anand shineIn the other semifinal, Alwarpet, electing to bat against defending champion Jolly Rovers, finished the day at 285 for six with half-centuries from R. Kavin and Anand Subramanian.
Anand was batting on 77 at stumps, a knock that included nine boundaries and a six.
For Rovers, left-arm spinner D.T. Chandrasekar and off-spinner M. Prabhu picked up two wickets each.
The scores (semifinals):
At CPT-IP: Vijay 356 for six in 87 overs (Dinesh Karthik 147, K.B. Arun Karthick 130, B. Indrajith 41) vs Young Stars. Toss: Vijay.
At IC Guru Nanak : Alwarpet 285 for six in 90 overs (Anand Subramanian 77 batting, R. Kavin 58, J. Gowjith Subhash 49) vs Jolly Rovers. Toss: Alwarpet.
