Karnataka skipper Smaran hits a fine century to deny Andhra the honours on the first day

A fighting century by debutant skipper Ravichandran Smaran bailed Karnataka out after Andhra had threatened to run through their rivals on the first day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Mulapadu, Vijayawada, on Sunday.

Smaran struck a fine 126 off 218 balls with 11 fours and a six to help Karnataka reach 258 after they were reduced to 22 for four.  By stumps, Karnataka further strengthened their position by reducing the hosts to 16 for two.

Aniketh and Tanay spin Tripura out for a lowly 134; Hyderabad reach 121 for 4 at stumps

The first hour of play on the first day belong to Andhra as Kavuri Saiteja and KV Sasikanth put the visitors on the backfoot. Electing to bat, Karnataka were rocked as the Andhra seamers made good use of the conditions. Saiteja struck the first blow when he bowled Mayank Agarwal for five with the score reading 9.

A ball later, Saiteja packed off KV Aneesh (0) as the batter was caught by Andhra skipper Ricky Bhui. As if the twin blows were not enough, Sasikanth got into the act by having India player KL Rahul (4) caught by wicketkeeper Revanth Reddy to leave Karnataka nine for three.

Karnataka skipper Ravichandran Smaran made a fine debut as skipper with a fighting century against Andhra. Pic: X

The top three gone and Karun Nair and Smaran put their heads down to rebuild the innings. However, Sasikanth was not yet done as he struck in the eighth over of the innings by trapping Karun (8) leg before. Andhra’s tail was up and they were baying for blood.

However, Smaran found an able partner in wicketkeeper Krishnan Shrijith and the duo slowly inched their way back into the game. They kept the Andhra bowlers at bay as they run by run rebuilt the ruins. The duo added 111 runs for the fifth wicket off 179 balls. Shrijith made 58 off 82 balls with three fours and three sixes, while Smaran contributed a slower 45 off 97 balls. More importantly the partnership rekindled their hopes of fighting on. Shrijith was trapped leg before by Saurabh Kumar, who also struck a blow soon thereafter.

Smaran holds firm

Saurabh removed Manvanth Kumar (13) but not before he helped his skipper add 32 runs for the sixth wicket. Rithesh Bhatkal (6) was removed by Vijay and Karnataka were not out of the woods yet.

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However, Smaran found another good ally in Madhav Bajaj and the pair put up a good show. They added 59 invaluable runs for the eighth wicket. Bajaj scored 33 off 53 balls with three fours and a six before falling to left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan.

Smaran then built another useful partnership with Shikhar Shetty (13) as they added 41 runs off 72 balls for the ninth wicket before Smaran was bowled by Lalith Mohan. Smaran’s 126 came off 218 balls with 11 fours and a six.

Shikhar Shetty was caught behind by Revanth Reddy off Saurabh Kumar as Karnataka fell for 274. But considering the start they got, their final tally was quite good and gave them a chance to fight back.

Saurabh bags three wickets

Saurabh Kumar took three wickets, while Saiteja, Sasikanth and Lalith bagged two each.

M Saurabh Kumar (right) took three for 69 for Andhra

The hosts batters, however, failed to capitalize on the good work of the bowlers. Opener M Hemanth Reddy was caught by Smaran off Shikhar for 1 and Tripurana Vijay was caught by Rahul off Bajaj for 4 to leave Andhra tottering at 10 for two.

Abhishek Reddy was batting on 10 and giving him company was Shaik Rasheed on 1 as Andhra were 16 for two. Much will now depend on this pair and skipper Ricky Bhui as Andhra will look to take the first innings lead. It may not be that easy on the morrow.

Brief scores: Karnataka 274 in 82.2 overs (Ravichandran Smaran 126, Krishnan Shrijith 58, Madhav Bajaj 33; Saurabh Kumar 3/69, KV Sasikanth 2/10, K Saiteja 2/20, Lalith Mohan 2/87) vs Andhra 16 for two in 5 overs.