Opener Satyajit Parab, with a patient 110, sustained the Baroda innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground in Baroda on Thursday. Thanks chiefly to the 25-year-old's determination, the hosts scored 285 for eight wickets at stumps.

Winning the toss, Baroda were given a good start with openers Parab and Connor Williams (25) putting on 41 runs off 12 overs. HR Jadhav faced 19 balls in scoring just one run and was second out at 51. Skipper Jacob Martin (34) and Parab then added 54 runs for the third wicket off 13 overs to bring the Baroda score into the realm of respectibility. Martin faced 42 balls and hit six of them to the ropes.

Former Indian off spinner Aashish Kapoor, who had Martin leg before, struck again in his next over when he had Tushar Arothe caught by wicketkeeper Reuben Paul for four runs. Baroda were in a spot of bother at 111 for four. However Parab and Indian stumper Nayan Mongia then came together and set the innings back on track by adding 102 runs for the fifth wicket off 39.2 overs. Parab dominated the partnership, racing to his hundred in the process. Mongia, who was content to play second fiddle, faced 132 balls for his 28 and hit only two boundaries before he was leg before to MR Shrinivas giving the bowler his second wicket. The medium pacer, playing only his second Ranji Trophy match, had a third wicket in his next over when he bowled Parab. In a stay of 325 minutes, Parab faced 219 balls and hit 14 boundaries before he was sixth out at 218 in the 74th over.

Ajit Bhoite then kept the innings going till stumps. First, he dominated a seventh wicket stand of 35 runs off 7.2 overs with Irfan Pathan who scored just one run off 21 balls. Shrinivas then bowled Pathan to take his fourth wicket. In the next over, Rakesh Patel (0) gave medium pacer Sadagopan Mahesh a return catch. However Valmik Buch (9) stayed with Bhoite till stumps with the two figuring in an unbroken ninth wicket partnership of 31 runs off 7.5 overs. By stumps, Aroithe was batting on 50 off 47 balls with eight hits to the fence. Shrinivas was easily the most successful bowler with four wickets for 58 runs.

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