Punjab gain two points

Punjab gained two points as their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B league match against Andhra ended in a draw in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

Punjab picked up two points by virtue of its first innings lead and took its tally to 11 points.

Resuming at 98 for 3, Punjab declared its second innings at 185 for seven setting a 265-run victory target and giving a fair chance to the hosts to go for an outright win but the hosts could only manage 116 for six.

Reetinder Singh Sodhi (42), Pankaj Dharmani (23) and Gaurav Gupta (27) were the main scorers for the visitors.

Punjab had compiled 316 and bowled Andhra out for 237 in the first essay to take a 79-run lead.

Andhra chase began on a positive note with M S K Prasad and T Suman opening the innings with confidence but Dinesh Mongia trapped Suman leg before wicket for 17.

With wickets falling frequently the chase went out of control and Prasad's upward push was well taken in return by spinner Bipul Sharma after he scored 46 runs off 96 balls during his two-hour stay at the wicket.

The target appeared too far with every falling wicket while Y Venugopal Rao remained unbeaten on 37 and Mohammad Faiq on 24 when the match was called as no result could be forced when hosts reached 166 for six in 77th over.

Andhra has seven points with one more match to go, while Punjab has eleven points in the Elite Group B.

Scorecard:

Punjab 2nd innings (Overnight score: 98-3)
R Ricky run out (Suman) 31
R Sodhi run out (Rayudu) 45
D Mongia st Prasad b Faiq 22
I Malhatra st Prasad b LKishore  1
P Dharmani lbw b L Kishore 23
G Gupta b L Kishore 27
Bipul Sharma c Rayudu b Sahabuddin 2
U Kaul not out 14
Gagandeep Singh  not out 6

Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 6, nb 3)  14

Total (for 7 wickets declared in 48 overs) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-94, 3-95, 4-118, 5-148, 6-158, 7-173.

Bowling: K Sahabuddin 7-0-28-1, D Kalyankrishna 1-0-6-0, L Kishore 19-1-62-3, M Faiq 14-1-50-1, Vikram Verma 7-0-34-0.

Andhra 2nd innings (Target: 265)
T Suman lbw b Mongia 17
MSK Prasad c & b Bipul Sharma  46
K Sahabuddin b Bipul Sharma  13
K Kumarswamy c Dharmani b Mongia 0
A Rayudu c Ricky b Bipul Sharma 6
Y Venugopal Rao  not out 37
Y Gnaneswara Rao c Malhatra b R Sharma  21
M Faiq not out 2

Extras (b 7, nb 17)  24

Total  (for 6 wickets in 77 overs) 166

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-73, 3-89, 4-90, 5-108, 6-159.

Bowling: Gagandeep Singh 4-0-6-0, L Ablash 6-2-17-0, D Mongia 17-3-40-2, R Sharma 28-3-60-1, R Ricky 0.5-0-12-0, Bipul Sharma 21.1-11-24-3.