On a day of high drama, Chhattisgarh pulled off a thrilling five-wicket win over Andhra in their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match at the DVR Ground in Mulapadu, Vijayawada, on Thursday.
The result was possible because of the bold declaration by Andhra skipper Ricky Bhui. After the hosts conceded a six-run first innings lead, Ricky went on the offensive and helped Andhra reach 184 for three before declaring the innings closed.
Chhattisgarh took up the challenge and reached 182 for five in 35.1 overs to bag six points from the game. Andhra, after a wonderful show in the opener against Karnataka, suffered their second consecutive loss. They had earlier gone down to Hyderabad in their second game. They are now seventh on the table with three points.
After Cyclone Arnab had washed off the third day’s play, Chhattisgarh resumed their innings on 216 for eight with Amandeep Khare batting on 74 and Dev Aditya Singh on 5. The visitors needed 16 runs for the all-important lead, while the hosts had to just get the two wickets before Chhattisgarh reached 231.
Amandeep Khare keeps Chhattisgarh hopes alive, Andhra need just 2 wickets for lead
Amandeep and Aditya added 12 more to the total before Andhra struck. Aditya (8) was bowled by Saurabh Kumar and Chhattisgarh were still four short of the lead. Last man Sandeep Warrier hung in there enough to help Chhattisgarh cross the Andhra first innings score. Warrier (2) was finally bowled by off-spinner Tripurana Vijay but Chhattisgarh were safe home. They finished with 237 on the board with Amandeep remaining unbeaten on 89 off 202 balls with eight fours.
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar took three for 83, while Vijay bagged four for 76.
Andhra go for broke
Andhra, having conceded the lead, chose to go for the runs and try force a result. However, they lost two early wickets with M Hemanth Reddy (1) falling in the second over as he was stumped by wicketkeeper Pradhan off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.
Abhishek Reddy (8) too was dismissed in a similar fashion and Andhra were 17 for two. Saurabh Kumar, who was promoted up the order, and skipper Ricky Bhui went after the Chhattisgarh bowling. They added 68 off 79 balls with Saurabh contributing 32 off 42 and Ricky getting 33 off 37.
However, Saurabh Kumar was caught by Anuj Tiwary off Jayant Yadav to end the enterprising innings. He made 36 off 49 balls with three fours.
Ricky and Karan Shinde then took over and went on to make half-centuries and help Andhra reach 184 for three before declaring the innings. They added 99 for the unbroken fourth wicket with Ricky remaining not out on 72 off 75 balls with four fours and three sixes, while Karan was not out on 53 off 54 balls with six fours and a six.
Chhattisgarh take up the challenge
Set a target of 179, Chhattisgarh did not shy away from the challenge. Though the visitors lost opener Aayush Pandey (11), who was caught by Ricky off KV Sasikanth, with 29 on the board, skipper Anuj Tiwary and Amandeep Khare went after the Andhra bowling. They added 69 off 77 balls before Amandeep perished. He was bowled by Saurabh after making a 40-ball 30 with six fours.
Chhattisgarh then lost Vikalp Tiwari (10), who was caught by Abhishek Reddy off Saurabh and Anuj was caught by Hemanth Reddy off Saurabh as Chhattisgarh were reduced to 133 for four and they still needed 46 for victory.
Ajay Mandal and Dev Aditya Singh added 45 for the fifth wicket to take Chhattisgarh to the verge of victory. The duo helped level the scores but Vijay struck by having Ajay caught by Karan Shinde. Ajay made 28 off 35 balls with four boundaries.
Aditya finished the game with a boundary off left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan as Chhattisgarh reached 182 for five in 35.1 overs. Aditya remained unbeaten on 34 off 25 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Brief scores: Andhra 231 & 184 for three declared in 32 overs (Saurabh Kumar 36, Ricky Bhui 72 not out, Karan Shinde 53 not out; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 2/52) lost to Chhattisgarh 237 in 107.3 overs (Anuj Tiwary 34, Mayank Verma 20, Amandeep Khare 89 not out, Ajay Mandal 29; Saurabh Kumar 3/83, Tripurana Vijay 4/76) & 182 for five in 35.1 overs (Anuj Tiwary 60, Amandeep Khare 30, Ajay Mandal 28, Dev Aditya Singh 34 not out; Saurabh Kkumar 3/55).
