Jayant’s four-for puts Chhattisgarh ahead after Andhra bowled out for 231 in Ranji Trophy opener
At the DVR Ground in Mulapadu on Monday, off-spinner Jayant Yadav took 4 for 75 as Chhattisgarh dismissed Andhra for 231 and finished the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match on 35 for one in reply.
The Mulapadu surface offered significant assistance to slow bowlers, prompting Chhattisgarh to deploy spin from early on; Jayant, a veteran off-spinner, exploited those conditions to influence the contest after returning to the XI. Andhra’s decision to bat first backfired when opener Hemanth Reddy was caught at point off Dev Aditya Singh in the second over — the only dismissal credited to pace.
Spin supplied the bulk of the damage as Ajay Mandal provoked Abhishek Reddy to leave his crease and be stumped, while Dharmendra Jadeja induced an edge from Karan Shinde that was caught at leg slip. Jayant removed Shaik Rasheed, who nicked one to first slip, and Jadeja later had captain Ricky Bhui stumped after Bhui tried to use his feet.
Mandal returned to bowl Revanth Reddy and also struck earlier to make inroads; his contributions, combined with Jayant’s off-spin, left Andhra six down inside the first session. S.V. Rahul and K.V. Sasikanth then rebuilt with a patient 61-run partnership that consumed 126 deliveries.
Jayant regained control by dismissing Sasikanth and Saurabh Kumar in quick succession, and Rahul resumed his patient approach alongside T. Vijay as the pair added 40 runs off 84 balls before Mandal breached Vijay’s defence. Rahul, who had reached 89 off 173 balls with seven fours and one six, was out attempting to accelerate against Jayant, whose return to the XI produced an immediate impact.
Andhra — 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy c Jadeja b Aditya 2, Abhishek Reddy st. Pradhan b Mandal 23, Shaik Rasheed c Anuj b Jayant 24, Karan Shinde c Jayant b Jadeja 7, Ricky Bhui st. Pradhan b Jadeja 23, S.V. Rahul c Jadeja b Jayant 89, Revanth Reddy b Mandal 2, K.V. Sasikanth c Vikalp b Jayant 31, Saurabh Kumar c Pradhan b Jayant 5, T. Vijay b Mandal 20, Lalith Mohan (not out) 0; Extras (b-4, lb-1): 5; Total (in 73.2 overs): 231. Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-37, 3-58, 4-64, 5-105, 6-114, 7-175, 8-185, 9-225. Chhattisgarh bowling: Warrier 3-0-19-0, Aditya 3-1-10-1, Mandal 22-1-56-3, Jadeja 25-1-66-2, Jayant 20.2-2-75-4.
Chhattisgarh began their first innings before stumps, losing Ayush Pandey run out for 13 after he fell short of his crease attempting a quick single; they closed on 35 for one with Anuj Tiwary (batting 11) and Mayank Verma (batting 7) at the crease. Extras (b-4): 4; Total (for one wkt. in 14 overs): 35. Andhra’s opening bowlers returned figures of Saurabh 7-4-11-0, Vijay 6-2-19-0 and Mohan 1-0-1-0.
The match remained in its early stages at the close, with Chhattisgarh holding a first-innings advantage after bowling Andhra out for 231 and reaching 35 for one in reply in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture at DVR Ground.
