The first match that Sriram featured for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy soon after his return from the tour to West Indies with the India A team was against Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Hyderabad won the toss and put Tamil Nadu in to bat.

Tamil Nadu lost Aashish Kapoor (0) in the second over of the day. This brought Sriram to the crease. He took time to settle down and during the first session of play proceeded slowly to 30. Though he lost the other opener Anand George (4) as soon as he came to the crease, he found a perfect foil in Hemang Badani (52), with whom he added 91 runs for the third wicket. Then with Madanagopal, Sriram figured in a 119-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Having laid a solid foundation for Tamil Nadu during the first two sessions of play, Sriram finally launched an all out attack on the spinners during the final session. The experienced Hyderabad spin duo of Venkatapathi Raju and Kanwaljeet Singh bore the brunt of Sriram's bat. At the end of the first day's play they had bowled 49 overs between themselves and conceded 115 runs in the bargain without success.

Sriram, who was drafted into the team at the eleventh hour as he had just returned from the Caribbean, was at his belligerent best during the last hour of play and remained unconquered on 112. During a near six hour stay at the crease, the left hander faced 275 deliveries and hit ten of them to the ropes. Thanks chiefly to his gallant effort, Tamil Nadu finished the first day at the happy position of 252 for four wickets.

Day two saw Sriram lose momentum. His captain Robin Singh and SV Saravanan were back in the pavilion within the first hour of play. Sriram had added 61 runs for the fifth wicket with Robin Singh. He was finally the seventh batsman to be dismissed for 121 after a 402-minute stay. His invaluable century helped Tamil Nadu take the initiative in the crucial encounter. More significantly, it was this game at Chepauk which started Sriram's dream run through the season.