Steady Andhra make Maharashtra toil

Whatever early help off the Cuddapah wicket that the Maharashtra camp had anticipated never really arrived. The Andhra openers,KS Bharat and DB Prasanth,started fluently and compiled a 122-run partnership before Bharat was dismissed for a well-paced 82 off 113 balls. The wicket-keeper batsman struck 11 fours and a couple of sixes,generally going about his business with an assured air. Prasanth was joined by G K Chiranjeevi and the pair added 75 runs for the second wicket before Chiranjeevi departed. Prasanth was later dismissed for 86,but bad light ended play prematurely.

Prasanth playing his 15th First Class match stitched a fluent knock. His 188-ball essay included 14 boundaries and the right-hander concentrated on offering a straight bat to the fast bowlers while punishing any width that the bowlers offered.

For Maharashtra,Dominic Muthuswamy — who scalped four wickets in the previous match against Goa — was the most successful bowler. Muthuswamy returned figures of two for 45 from his 16 overs. Debutant Bharat Solanki picked up his maiden First Class wicket when he dismissed Chiranjeevi. However,there was not too much to cheer for other bowlers as the Andhra batsmen seemed to negotiate their offerings without getting into too much trouble.