THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV 13,
It was an innings which typified the resolve and temperament of Ricky Bhui. The youngster scored his second century of the season but Andhra was restricted to 225 for eight by Kerala on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Pool B match at the St. Xavier’s cricket stadium, Thumba.
Andhra, opting to bat after winning the toss, struggled almost all day except when Bhui and debutant Siva Charan Singh added a stroke-filled 92 runs for the sixth wicket after the side was left reeling at 116 for five soon after lunch.
Thampi’s twin strike
The side was rocked by Basil Thampi’s twin blow, his fiery opening spell removing the openers in quick time. D.B. Ravi Teja and Bhui got together for the third wicket, producing a fine 63-run stand, before the former made his exit with just three deliveries remaining for the session. The wicket of Teja (24) seemed to work wonders for K.C. Akshay who, when given the opportunity against Hyderabad last week, had bowled flat and was only sparingly used. However, it proved to be a different story this afternoon as he mixed up his deliveries, keeping the rival batsmen guessing all the time. Akshay, quite deservingly, finished with a four-wicket haul.
Business as usual
Stand-in skipper B. Sumanth and Karn Sharma failed to make an impression before Bhui stepped in. The manner in which he handled the Kerala attack reflected his form. He was particularly severe on Akshay Chandran, the second left-arm spinner in the Kerala side.
Bhui also didn’t hesitate to step out while facing Jalaj Saxena, smothering the spin and keeping the scoreboard moving. In Siva Charan, he found an able ally and went on to reach the magical three-figure mark. Soon after tea, taken at 189 for five, Andhra suffered another slide as Akshay, reintroduced into the attack, took the prized wicket of Bhui (109, 205b, 10×4, 1×6) and also trapped Siva Charan (45) in front.
Sandeep Warrier, brought back, castled G. Manish (2) in the third ball of his fourth spell, bringing the curtains down on a well-contested day.
