Tamil Nadu defeat Chandigarh by an innings, Ajith Ram shines

In the fourth round match of the Elite Group D of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27, Tamil Nadu crushed Chandigarh by an innings and 260 runs. Playing at the Sector-16 ground, Tamil Nadu player S. Ajith Ram ensured his team's victory with a magnificent performance with both bat and ball.

Before taking to the field on Wednesday, the third day of the match, the entire Tamil Nadu team and support staff gathered. Head coach Yo Mahesh, while motivating the players, asked, "What do we have?" to which the players loudly shouted, "Freedom!". The coach then asked, "How will we do it?" and the team responded enthusiastically, "Together!". This spirit of freedom and unity was clearly visible in the third day's play.

The Tamil Nadu bowlers dominated the Wednesday morning session. They bowled out the hosts, Chandigarh, for just 94 runs in only 17.3 overs. Medium pacer Sonu Yadav bowled Arjit Pannu with his stumps early in the morning and subsequently dismissed Bhagmender Lather. Chiragveer Dhindsa was run out, while Sonu dismissed Nikhil Sharma, pushing Chandigarh to 76/7. Saravan Kumar dismissed Akshit Rana and Jagjit Singh, and finally, Sonu Yadav ended the first innings by dismissing Nishuk Birla.

After being bowled out in the first innings, Tamil Nadu enforced the follow-on on Chandigarh. At the start of the second innings, Chandigarh openers Nehal Pazani and Arjun Azad showed more composure. There was a 73-run partnership between the two, but before lunch, Captain R. Sai Kishore broke the partnership with the help of a brilliant fielding effort by G. Ajitesh. Arjun Azad scored 60 runs off 90 balls (8 fours, 1 six).

As the pitch conditions eased in the afternoon session, Manan Vohra (59 runs off 72 balls, 11 fours) and Arjun Azad added 82 runs for the second wicket. However, Arjun Azad attempted to play a shot against the left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram and was stumped, changing the course of the match. Subsequently, wickets began to fall rapidly. Saravan Kumar had Manan Vohra out LBW, while Ajith Ram sent Akshit Rana and Bhagmender Lather back to the pavilion. Sai Kishore dismissed Chiragveer Dhindsa, and finally, Ajith Ram ended Arjit Pannu's struggle of 57 balls and 9 runs. In the second innings, Chandigarh was bowled out for 189, which was 288 runs short of Tamil Nadu's lead.

S. Ajith Ram has achieved a historic feat in this match. He scored his maiden century (not out 115) and took 7 wickets in the second innings. According to a report by Sportstar, he is only the fourth player in the nine-decade history of Tamil Nadu cricket to score a century and take 5 or more wickets in a single first-class match. Previously, A.G. Ram Singh, B.C. Alva, and S. Vasudevan had achieved this feat.

Ajith Ram told Sportstar, "To be honest, it was a dream-like game. I did not expect such a performance. A year ago, my injury was so serious that I doubted if I would ever be able to play cricket again. I am grateful to God for giving me strength." He further added that he was not lost in the excitement of scoring a century and had merely focused on the game. He said that lower-order contributions have always been part of Ranji Trophy winning teams, so he wanted to improve his batting to contribute to Tamil Nadu's success.

S. Ajith Ram is a left-arm spinner who had previously faced a serious injury involving a complete tear of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee.