Published: Feb 16, 2015, 07:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 16, 2015, 07:16 PM (IST)
Andhra had Maharashtra on a leash at the end of Day-one of the Ranji Trophy 2014-15 quarter-final at Lahli, as the Maharashtra batsmen meekly surrendered on a pitch that had a healthy covering of grass. Andhra exploited the conditions perfectly to bundle out Maharashtra for a paltry 91, which is one of the lowest totals this season.
The trinity of Paidikalva Vijaykumar, Cheepurapalli Stephen and Divvarapu Sivakumar incinerated Maharashtra in unison but Sivakumar hogged the wickets, finishing with a six-wicket haul. As many as seven Maharashtra batsmen were dismissed for single digit scores.
Andhra batsmen consolidated their position in response, to cap off a flawless performance at Lahli. Andhra finished Day-one at 87 for three, with opener Prasanth Kumar unbeaten on an immensely patient 26. Mohammad Kaif who came into to bat at number four for Andhra, failed to trouble the scorers. Trailing by just four runs and with seven wickets in hand, Andhra are light years ahead in the match.
Brief Scores:
Maharashtra 91 in 41.5 overs (Rohit Motwani 23; Divvarapu Sivakumar 6 for 41, Cheepurapalli 2 for 19) lead Andhra 87 for 3 in 41 overs (Murumulla Sriram 31, Prasanth Kumar 26*; Anupam Sanklecha 2 for 31) by four runs
