Indian Railways ground home their advantage on the second day of their semi-final clash with New Zealand 'A' in the MRF Buchi Babu Tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. After dismissing New Zealand 'A' for a low 129 and notching up 114/4 at the end of the first day, Indian Railways went on to make 279. The first innings lead was a handy 150 runs. In their second essay, New Zealand 'A' are 216/6 off 42 overs. With one day to play, New Zealand 'A' are effectively up by 66 runs with 4 second innings wickets to come.

For Indian Railways, Yere Goud was the hero, striking 125 (397 mins, 289 balls, 16 fours, 1 six). This is Goud's second ton in the tournament and a timely one indeed. Remaining unbeaten, Goud batted in the company of several partners, with P Rawat (38) contributing the most.

In the New Zealand 'A' second innings, it was a familiar story once more as Mark Richardson held fort with an attacking 71 (93 balls, 8 fours). Chris Nevin (6) promoted in the batting order, failed to impress. While skipper Matthew Bell got a start he did not spend a significant amount of time at the wicket and was dismissed for 38. Lou Vincent continued a run of good form and remained unbeaten on 57 off just 50 balls when play was called off for the day. Striking 8 boundaries in his innings thus far, Vincent has shown that a positive approach is crucial for taking on the spinners in the subcontinent.

The match remains interestingly poised, and the first session of the final day could be crucial.

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