A devastating spell by left-arm medium pacer Irfan Pathan, who took four wickets, helped Elite-A restrict Plate-A to 234 for seven on the opening day of the four-day Duleep Trophy cricket match in Chennai on Wednesday.

Ranvir Bose chipped in with two wickets to trigger the Plate team's collapse.

Irfan, who bowled his heart out, ran through the Plate middle-order after openers R Jaiswal (80) and Rowland Barrington (75) gave a superb start adding 147 runs.

It was Bose who provided the much needed breakthrough for the Elite team, when he castled Jaiswal before sending back skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar (6).

Irfan then took over as Plate-A, slumped to 216 for seven. It would have been worse for the the Plate team but for the sloppy fielding of their rivals who dropped four catches including one of Jaiswal.

In another match, a fine show by middle-order batsmen helped Elite B score 343 for eight in their first innings against Plate B on the first day of the Duleep Trophy Cricket championship in Chennai.

At close, former India stumper M S K Prasad (37, 2x4) and Sourashish Lahiri (30, 6x4) were at the crease, having put on 57 runs in 15.1 overs for the unfinished ninth wicket. The duo steadied the innings after veteran leg spinner Narendra Hirwani (5/76) took four wickets in the space of 22 balls.

Electing to bat, Elite B began steadily with openers, lefthander Amit Phagnis (23, 3x4) and Wasim Jaffer (35, 4x4)putting on 66 runs. But they soon slumped to 110 for 3 and 168 for 4 before Arjun Yadav (59, 7x4), skipper Rohan Gavaskar (42, 2x6, 5x4), and Tejinder Pal Singh (64, 2x6, 5x4) fought back.

Arjun Yadav and Wasim Jaffer added 42 runs for the third wicket. Yadav then added 58 runs with Gavaskar for the fourth wicket before Gavaskar was dismissed.

Yadav added another 98 runs for the fifth wicket with T P Singh in 27.2 overs before Hirwani got into his wicket-taking spree, removing Yadav, T P Singh, Sairaj Bahutule and Amit Uniyal. Earlier, he had claimed the wicket of Vinayak Mane.