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Robin Singh, Hemang Badani devastate Bombay

It was a symphony, pure and harmonious, as the Tamil Nadu fifth-wicket pair of skipper Robin Singh (142: 157b, 15x4, 5x6) and Hemang Badani (162: 246b, 25x4) added 248 runs off just 50.1 overs in an unbeaten association to help the visitors score 397 runs for the loss of just four wickets on Tuesday, the opening day of the five-day Ranji Trophy semi-final against Bombay at the Wankhede Stadium, Bombay.

The Bombay pace attack was put to the sword by the duo as 49 boundaries and five over-boundaries were scored through the day.

The duo, coming together in the 40th over at the fall of Sridharan Sharath's wicket at 149, waded into the listless Bombay attack, adding 177 runs to the tea score of 220 for four, off just 32 overs in the final session of day.

To sum it up, it was a lucky toss to lose and Robin Singh, the Tamil Nadu skipper, was more than willing to admit that.

"I don't really mind losing the toss if we score 400 runs in a day,'' he quipped post-match, accepting though that batting was easier in the conditions than bowling.

Now that was an understatement for batting was not just easier, but untroubled and you could almost get away with complacency, while it seemed an unbounded and endless toil for the bowlers.

Had Robin Singh won the toss, he would have done just what the Bombay skipper Samir Dighe did -- put the opposition in.

"Probably yes. I would have opted to field too because there is a fair amount of grass on the pitch and our attack is basically mediumpace,'' he said.

Robin's knock was studded with 15 fours and five sixes -- two each off Rajesh Pawar and Ramesh Powar and another off medium-pacer Abey Kuruvilla.

Scoreboard

Tamil Nadu (1st innings):
Sridharan Sriram c Dighe b Agarkar 2
Sadagoppan Ramesh run out 44, Hemang Badani batting 162
JR Madan Gopal c Dighe b Saxena 4
Sridharan Sharath c Muzumdar b Powar 12
Robin Singh batting 142.
Extras (b-10, lb-12, nb-7, wb-2) 31.
Total (for 4 wickets, in 90 overs) 397.
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (S. Sriram), 2-97 (S. Ramesh), 3-108 (JR Madan Gopal), 4-149 (S Sharath).
Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 19-3-60-1 (1w); Santosh Saxena 14-1-65-1; Abey Kuruvilla 19-4-77-0 (6nb, 1w); Sachin Tendulkar 10-0-46-0 (1nb); Ramesh Powar 17-2-74-1; Rajesh Pawar 11-2-53-0.