Bhubaneswar, Jan 24 (NationPress) Tamil Nadu opener S.R. Athish delivered a remarkable performance with a career-best score of 88 to spearhead his team's quest for victory on Day Three of their Elite Group A match against Odisha in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 at the KIIT Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Athish, who had earlier struggled to secure his maiden fifty in the first innings, demonstrated greater confidence in his second outing, while Sonu Yadav built on his maiden five-wicket haul with a swift 74, leading Tamil Nadu to a total of 316 and setting Odisha a challenging target of 455. At the end of the day, Odisha stood at 47/2 in 15.3 overs, with Tamil Nadu's victory appearing increasingly viable.

In Anantapur, Andhra made significant strides towards the quarterfinals, concluding the day's play at 93/1 against Vidarbha. They require 166 more runs, with K.S. Bharat and Shaik Rasheed both remaining unbeaten at 27 and 50, respectively, in a solid unbroken partnership of 78 runs.

Vidarbha, recent champions of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will lament their inability to set a larger target after being dismissed for 191 in their second innings. Yash Rathod was the top scorer with 56, but he received little backing from his teammates as Andhra's bowlers, spearheaded by K. Saiteja with four wickets, dismantled the opposition.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Saurabh Kumar, and Tripurana Vijay contributed crucial wickets, ensuring Andhra maintained control. Given their strong start to the chase, Andhra is optimistic about completing the target on the final day.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh concluded the day's play at 69/7 in 23 overs, trailing Jharkhand by 316 runs. Uttar Pradesh was compelled to follow on after being bowled out for 176 in their first innings in response to Jharkhand's impressive 561/6 declared. Madhav Kaushik (9) and Vipraj Nigam (1) are currently at the crease, but a heavy defeat seems inevitable for Uttar Pradesh.