R. Sonu Yadav and Zubair Ali Khan — the protagonists of Tamil Nadu and Railways on day one of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D fixture — laid bare the action that unfolded at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.

While the medium-pacer gave the host early impetus with three wickets, the No. 8 batter turned things around with a swashbuckling 75.

On the impact of Zubair’s 61-run last-wicket stand with Himanshu Sangwan, Sonu said: “It would have been even better if we had wrapped it up quickly. It’s always challenging when a tail-ender and a batter form that kind of rhythm because they manage the strike cleverly.”

Zubair, who looked assured in defence and ruthless in attack, showcased skills beyond a No. 8. “Given how wickets fell at the start, we hoped to score 150. From there, I found opportunities to add more.”

And Zubair was dropped by Gurjapneet Singh off R. Sai Kishore at 144 for nine.

“You feel much freer when luck plays a part as a batter. Getting those extra runs is significant. Tomorrow (Tuesday), the pitch will offer more turn, and hitting the right spots will make scoring every run difficult. This is definitely a fighting total,” Zubair explained.

Sonu, who made the ball talk under cloudy skies, also expects spinners to play a bigger role. “The wicket was a bit damp, which is why we chose to bowl. There was assistance for me in the morning, but the pitch will suit the spinners more as the match progresses”.