Pace-bowler Lukman Meriwala and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh took four wickets each as Tamil Nadu crumbled to 130 all out and suffered a 102-run defeat against Baroda. The loss meant that Tamil Nadu finished their season without a single win, a possibility Baroda averted with this result.
Tamil Nadu’s bowlers had done well on the third day to give their side an advantage, bowling out Baroda for 197 to set up a fourth-innings target of 233. They went into stumps at 2 for no loss, but early into the fourth day the new-ball pair of Atit Sheth and Meriwala cut through the top order, leaving Tamil Nadu reeling at 30 for 5. There was a brief respite, as B Aparajith and Washington Sundar kept Baroda at bay, but Swapnil soon broke through that partnership and went on to sweep up the lower order.
Aparajith was the only TN batsman to score more than 25, top-scoring with a battling 60. Meriwala had returns of 4 for 22 in 16 overs, while Swapnil was even more miserly – 4 for 21 in 19.1 overs. The four-for capped off a good season for Swapnil – he ended as Baroda’s highest run-getter with 565 runs at an average of 62.77 and the second-highest wicket-taker behind Sheth, with 20 dismissals at an average of 25.5.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo