Ranji Trophy: Bharat & Rasheed partnership gives AP strong start

Kanpur: A brilliant century by opener KS Bharat and his solid 194-run second-wicket partnership with SK Rasheed put Andhra Pradesh in command against host Uttar Pradesh on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy encounter at Green Park on Wednesday.Andhra finished the day at 289 for 3 in 85.5 overs after being reduced from a strong 287 for 1, courtesy of a double strike by UP pacer Aqib Khan in the final over of the day.Earlier, Andhra won the toss and elected to bat. Following the advice of former UP cricketer Saurabh Kumar—‘keep your wicket in hand in the morning' ---the visitors showed great application, losing just one wicket in the first session. Opener Abhishek Reddy (36) and Bharat added 93 runs for the opening stand before Reddy edged Vipraj Nigam to wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal.The wicket at Green Park offered slow pace and low bounce, prompting both Bharat and Rasheed to play with patience and precision. The duo rotated the strike well and punished loose deliveries, ensuring UP bowlers toiled hard for breakthroughs.The visitors scored 105 runs in the pre-lunch session, losing just one wicket. In the second session, they added 95 runs without losing any wicket. In the third and the last session, Bharat and Rasheed added another 87 runs. Aqib struck twice in the last over, providing some relief to the hosts.Bharat reached his century off 174 balls, hitting 10 boundaries, and went on to score a fluent 142 before being dismissed by Aqib in the extended final session. He was earlier dropped by Abhishek Goswami at long-on when on 100. His composed knock came off 244 balls with 13 fours.Rasheed held firm at the other end, remaining unbeaten on 94 at stumps, just shy of his first century of the season. UP captain Karan Sharma used as many as six bowlers during the day, but it was Aqib who provided relief with the second new ball, removing both Bharat and skipper Ricky Bhui in the same over. The umpires called stumps soon after, extending play by 32 minutes to complete the day's 90 overs. Bhui was bowled when he dragged the ball in his stumps after scoring 2 runs. Speaking after play, UP coach Arvind Kapoor admitted the wicket was flat and offered little help to bowlers. "The last-over breakthroughs gave us some respite. Hopefully, with the ball still new, our pacers can make early inroads tomorrow," he said, also lauding the patience of Bharat and Rasheed for frustrating the bowlers throughout the day. Brief scores: Andhra Pradesh-289/3 in 85.5 overs(Abhishek Reddy 36, KS Bharat 142, SK Rasheed batting 94, Ricky Bhui 2; Aqib Khan 2/50, Vipraj Nigam 1/76).