Andhra Pradesh hold nerve in tight contest

Andhra Pradesh registered a tense five-run win over Tamil Nadu in their Ranji one-day match at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Winning the toss, Andhra Pradesh decided to bat first and a third-wicket partnership of 95 runs between AS Pathak and Y Venugopal Rao formed the backbone of a final total of 260 for six. Pathak made 50 off 81 balls, while Venugopal Rao made 68 off 96 balls.

Captain MSK Prasad scored 58 off 60 balls, but the real boost in the scoring rate came from RVC Prasad's blistering 42 off 26 balls, with four fours and two sixes.

Tamil Nadu lost Sridharan Sriram and Hemang Badani early, but Sridharan Sharath's responsible knock kept his side in the hunt till the very final over. His 82 off 120 balls was well supported by skipper Robin Singh's 50 off 56 balls.

SV Saravanan's 37 off 34 balls further down the order included some quick running, but Andhra Pradesh bowlers held their nerve to restrict Tamil Nadu to 255/7.

Arunkumar continues fine form

Karnataka skipper J Arunkumar extended his blistering vein of form in the Ranji one-day competition to help his side to a seven-wicket triumph over Goa at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Winning the toss, Goa opted to bat first. The batsmen, however, failed to take advantage of first strike. Barring Tanveer Jabbar, who has also been in fine form in the longer version of the game, none of the other batsmen could convert a start into a significant score.

Jabbar made an unbeaten 91 off 87 balls, with nine fours and one six. For Karnataka, Sunil Joshi took 3-41, while other bowlers chipped in with tight spells. Goa were bowled out for 225 in just 42.4 overs.

Faced with a moderate target, Karnataka openers Arunkumar and Aditya Mishra took their side to 142 without being separated, effectively putting Goa out of the game. Arunkumar made 74 off 70 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes. Mishra made 84 off 67, with 14 fours and one six.

Thilak Naidu coming in at number four, took his side to victory, making 38 off 31 balls. Karnataka cantered to their target in just 34 overs for the loss of three wickets.

Hyderabad eke out close two-wicket win

Hyderabad chased down a high target to register a close two-wicket win in their Ranji one-day match against Kerala at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Winning the toss, Kerala batted first and racked up 273/8 in their allotted 50 overs. The stars of the innings were VT Suresh, AN Kudva and Sunil Oasis. Suresh and Kudva put on 124 runs for the second wicket, with the former scoring 63 and the latter making 70.

Further down the order, Oasis made a brisk 47 off 49 balls. For Hyderabad, JS Yadav took 4-34, and was easily the best of the bowlers on view.

Hyderabad opener GA Shetty made a sedate 59 at the top of the order, proving the anchor role in a well-planned innings. His partner A Nand Kishore scored 32, but it was Anirudh Singh who really provided the impetus, making an unbeaten 86 off 80 balls.

AS Yadav, giving good company to Anirudh Singh, made 41 off as many balls. Hyderabad squeaked in to victory in 49.3 overs, making 274 for eight.

© CricInfo