Andhra registered its second straight win in the K.S. Subbaiah Pillai Trophy, comprehensively outplaying Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
After dismissing the opponent for a modest 166, Andhra strolled home with close to 10 overs to spare. Opener K.S. Bharath anchored the pursuit with a steady 60, after D. Swaroop Kumar’s four for 21 had helped lay Hyderabad low.
In the context of the tournament, however, Andhra’s six-wicket victory will count for little, with even second place out of reach. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are now assured of finishing in the top two.
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Bharath’s half-century ensured that Andhra’s task, despite a slow beginning, never really got out of hand.
Jyothi Sai Krishna and he added 60 for the second wicket, after Pragyan Ojha had claimed D.B. Prashanth early. Sai Krishna was caught behind having a swipe at Ashish Reddy for 36 but D. Sumanth, who pulled his first ball emphatically in front of square for four, killed off any hopes Hyderabad may have nursed. The young Ricky Bhui applied the final touches, impressing in his brief stay at the wicket.
That Hyderabad managed as much as it did was down chiefly to Habeeb Ahmed, who made an unbeaten 44. The wicket-keeper’s efforts helped his side recover, however little, from 102 for eight. G. Hanuma Vihari had sought to hold one end up, compiling a patient 43 while those around him tumbled. But once he was out caught behind, the innings swiftly unravelled. Swaroop claimed two wickets in his first two balls, removing Amol Shinde and Kaneshuk Naidu, to leave Hyderabad in tatters. He returned to get rid of Ojha and Ravi Kiran, finishing with four wickets.
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Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s game with Kerala at the Aditya grounds was completely washed out to hand each side two points. At the Alur grounds, Karnataka, propelled by a frantic century from Mayank Agarwal, recorded a 71-run triumph over Goa.
Tuesday is a rest day and the the final round of matches will be held on Wednesday, when the home side and Tamil Nadu will face off for top-spot.
The scores: Hyderabad 166 in 47.5 overs (Habeeb Ahmed 44 n.o., G. Hanuma Vihari 43, D. Swaroop Kumar four for 21) lost to Andhra 167 for four in 40.1 overs (K.S. Bharath 60, Jyothi Sai Krishna 36, Ricky Bhui 27 n.o., B. Sumanth 27).
Karnataka 312 for nine in 45 overs (Mayank Agarwal 116, Manish Pandey 45, K.L. Rahul 40, Robin Uthappa 27, Amit Yadav three for 54) bt Goa 241 in 43.2 overs (Sagun Kamat 63, D.W. Misal 42, A.S. Desai 30, Abrar Kazi four for 49, R. Vinay Kumar three for 47).
The standings: Tamil Nadu 14, Karnataka 14, Andhra 8, Hyderabad 6, Kerala 6, Goa 0.