Chennai: Application and execution were the leitmotifs for both sides as the Day 1 Coimbatore wicket played true and offered scant deviation or turn. While the Tamil Nadu bowlers toiled hard to make inroads, Andhra batters dug in and on the back of half-centuries from Abhishek Reddy, Ricky Bhui and Karan Shinde, took their side to 277 for the loss of five wickets by the end of day’s play, reaffirming captain Hanuma Vihari’s decision to bat first after winning the toss.
As TN coach M Venkataramana had suggested the previous day, the side went with three spinners — southpaw R Sai Kishore, the now-available Washington Sundar and debutant left-arm spinner Ajith Ram. Sai Kishore dismissed Uppara Girinath in the 11th over after the latter had only scored 3, but his opening partner Reddy (85 runs off 129 balls, 8x4, 2x6) laid a strong foundation for Andhra, putting together a 95-run stand with Shaik Rasheed (37) before Ajith rattled Rasheed’s stumps.
Seamers Sandeep Warrier and Vijay Shankar dismissed Reddy and Vihari (21) in quick succession, and Andhra, who were at 125 for 1 at one stage, were suddenly four down with 153 on the board.
TN bowlers now had their tails up and were looking to effect a collapse, but were thwarted by a dogged 119-run partnership between Bhui (68 off 110 balls, 9x4, 1x6) and Shinde (55* off 114 balls, 7x4, 1x6). The pair rebuilt the innings and was looking on course to take Andhra to a state of ascendancy, but Sai Kishore had Bhui stumped at the stroke of stumps to restore some balance to the proceedings.
Venkataramana said the pitch was quite favourable for batting on the first day.
“The surface offered good bounce, and the ball was not turning off any particular spots. Considering that, it was an even day overall for both sides,” he said.
The coach felt the bowlers executed their plans well and believed that they could have picked up a couple of more wickets if luck had gone their way. He said: “There were a few close calls. Some bat-pads didn’t carry to the fielders, otherwise it could have been a slightly different scenario.”
Restricting Andhra to a total below 350 would be a job well done, said Venkataramana. “We will try our best to dismiss them under 350, but even if the eventual total exceeds that, we have confidence in our batting to match and surpass it. Our batters have the capability to score big runs, and they have proven it in the past,” the former India off-spinner said.
Brief scores: Andhra 277-5 in 90 overs (Abhishek Reddy 85, Ricky Bhui 68, Karan Shinde 55*; R Sai Kishore 2-73, Vijay Shankar 1-7) Vs Tamil Nadu.
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