The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Prasad Reddy leads Andhra's fightback

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Prasad Reddy leads Andhra's fightback

Special Correspondent

RAJKOT: L.N. Prasad Reddy proved an exception to the rule that bowler-friendly tracks have a shock effect on specialist batsmen playing first-class cricket. The Andhra opener, weathering early morning chill and dropping anchor on a lively Madhav Rao Scindia Stadium wicket, remained at the crease from start to stumps against Saurashtra. He lasted 370 minutes and played out 281 balls for an unbeaten 82 with 11 fours.

Match wide open

The nightmare is over for the visitor. It climbed out of a hole from 77 for five at lunch to end at 215 for nine on day one of the Ranji Trophy Super League Group `A' tie; the game is wide open though.

Venugopala Rao decided to bat after winning the toss. The relief on the faces of the Andhra players when applauding Reddy at the end of the day reflected the stocky opener's role in laying the foundation for a challenging first innings total. His 53-run stand for the sixth wicket with R.V.C. Prasad (35 runs, 48 balls) was the lone significant partnership of the day.

Bonus

Three run-outs, two at the start and one towards the end, were unexpected bonuses for Saurashtra, always on top due to a committed, competent show from its medium-pacers. The cold, openers Reddy and M.S.K. Prasad, felt in their bones on the first morning was a minor discomfort compared to the horrors that followed. Saurashtra banked on the bustling Sandeep Maniyar and the nippy Sandip Jobanputra for making inroads in conditions assisting swing. M.S.K. Prasad's run out in the eighth over was an early luck for the host.

Maniyar (three for 50) demanded caution from the batsmen. Left-armer Jobanputra's away-going deliveries with the occasional one jagging back added to the batsmen's miseries. When the wicket lost a bit of venom, left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhruv got balls to turn across the blade. Saurashtra's close-in fielders let their bowlers down, dropping at least five catches before lunch, and two towards the close (Reddy got a life on 74).

The scores: Andhra — 1st innings: L.N. Prasad Reddy (batting) 82, M.S.K. Prasad (run out) 16, A.S.K. Varma c Vaghela b Maniyar 0, V. Rao c Jogyiani b Maniyar 4, B. Sumanth c Jogyiani b Jobanputra 21, Gnaneswara Rao (run out) 5, R.V.C. Prasad c Jadeja b Dhruv 35, A.G. Pradeep (run out) 14, K. Sahabuddin b Dhruv 21, M. Faiq lbw Maniyar 10; Extras (lb-2, nb-3, w-2) 7; Total: (for nine wkts. in 89.3 overs) 215.

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-24, 3-39, 4-72, 5-77, 6-130, 7-165, 8-193, 9-215.

Saurashtra bowling: Jobanputra 19-2-56-1, Maniyar 18.3-7-50-3, K Vaghela 11-5-22-0, Jadeja 16-3-36-0, Makwana 3-1-15-0, Dhruv 21-9-30-2, Kotak 1-0-4-0.

The scores: Super League:

At Delhi: Baroda 244 in 78.1 overs (R.K. Solanki 62, K. Panchal 45, I. Sharma five for 35) vs. Delhi six for no loss in 1.5 overs.

At Ratnagiri: Maharashtra 255 for one in 90 overs (D.S. Jadhav 117 batting, H. Kanitkar 94 batting) vs. Rajasthan.

At Mohali: Punjab 220 for six in 76 overs (R.S. Ricky 46, P. Dharmani 67 batting) vs. Mumbai.

At Chennai: Haryana 169 for four in 97 overs (A. Rawat 67) vs. Tamil Nadu.

At Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh 249 for eight in 96 overs (M. Kaif 91, Jyoti P. Yadav 40) vs. Karnataka.

Plate League:

At Palakkad: Assam 247 for three in 91 overs (C. Rawat 70, Arun Kumar 83 batting) vs. Kerala.

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