All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, whose place in the Indian team has recently come under scrutiny, failed to convert a promising start as Andhra slipped into trouble against Vidarbha in their Ranji Trophy Group A match on Friday.
At stumps on Day 2, Vidarbha were 4 without loss in their second innings, having secured a crucial first-innings lead of 67 runs after bowling Andhra out for 228. The defending champions held an overall lead of 71 runs at the close of play.
Resuming the day at 267 for seven, Vidarbha were eventually dismissed for 295 in their first innings. Earlier, middle-order batter Yash Rathod anchored the innings with a fine 115 off 191 balls before Andhra pacer Kalidindi Raju wrapped up the tail with impressive figures of 5 for 62.
Andhra’s reply faltered despite a few individual efforts. Opener Abhishek Reddy top-scored with 73, while Saurabh Kumar contributed a valuable 62 from number eight. However, the visitors struggled to build sustained partnerships.
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Coming in with Andhra reeling at 118 for five, Nitish Kumar Reddy showed early promise but was dismissed for 35 off 48 deliveries. His departure triggered another collapse, with Andhra slipping to 166 for seven and eventually conceding a significant deficit.
Vidarbha’s bowling effort was led by a disciplined attack, with Darshan Nalkande, Nachiket Bhute, Aditya Thakare and Parth Rekhade claiming two wickets apiece.
Brief scores
Vidarbha: 295 all out in 89.3 overs (Yash Rathod 115; Kalidindi Raju 5/62) and 4/0 in 2 overs
Andhra: 228 all out in 65.3 overs (Abhishek Reddy 73, Saurabh Kumar 62)
(By PTI Inputs)
