Centuries from Vijay Shankar and Baba Aparajith headlined Tamil Nadu's second day in Cuttack as the duo put on 177 for the fifth wicket to bolster their first-innings total to 530 for 8 dec against Odisha.
Building on from the team's overnight score of 292 for 3, Shankar motored on to notch up his fifth first-class hundred after losing his overnight partner Baba Indrajith (46) inside three overs of the morning session. Aparajith then joined in the action and waltzed to a ton of his own - his second this Ranji season - steering the team past 475. Both of them hit nine fours and a six each, before Shankar and No. 7 batsman Washington Sundar fell within the space of 3.2 overs only minutes before tea. Seamer Suryakant Pradhan added two wickets - including that of Indrajith's - to his lone scalp from day one, while Biplab Samantray took out Shankar and Yo Mahesh.
In response, Odisha openers Sandeep Pattnaik and Natraj Behera saw off 13 overs of the new ball with unbeaten scores of 15 and 17 at stumps.
A 158-run stand between Ricky Bhui and DB Prashanth helped Andhra post 402 even as Tripura's 20-year-old medium-pacer Abhijit Sarkar snared a five-for to bowl the opposition in 144 overs.
While Bhui struck a 74, Prashant could only add 13 to his overnight score of 120. Sarkar accounted for both en route to his second five-wicket haul this season, as well as Ashwin Hebbar (43). All of the other four bowlers employed by captain Manisankar Murasingh picked up at least one wicket.
Tripura struggled early in their response, with Bandaru Ayyappa claiming Bishal Ghosh for 12 in the 16th over of the innings. Ghosh's fellow opener Samrat Singh, however, struck four fours during his unbeaten 89-ball as he steered Tripura to 68 for 1 in Udiyan Bose's (16*) company.
