Salil Arora and Sanvir Singh put on unbroken 205 for Punjab on Ranji Trophy opening day

Salil Arora and Sanvir Singh pulled Punjab out of trouble with an unbroken 205-run sixth-wicket partnership on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fourth-round match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in New Chandigarh on Monday.

The wicketkeeper-batter Salil Arora recorded his fourth successive century, having previously scored hundreds against Assam, Chhattisgarh and Hyderabad, and extended that run with an innings of 111 (186b, 11x4, 3x6) alongside Sanvir Singh (100, 183b, 10x4).

Andhra captain Ricky Bhui’s decision to bowl was quickly rewarded on a surface that carried grass; Prabhsimran Singh began positively, finding the boundary on either side of the wicket before K.S.N. Raju trapped him lbw in the eighth over.

K. Sai Teja then removed Jashanpreet Singh Sidhu, Uday Saharan and Ramandeep Singh in the 16th over to leave Punjab 51 for four, while Andhra fielders maintained pressure with rhythmic clapping and constant chirping.

Vihaan Malhotra and Salil Arora tried to steady the innings but Raju trapped Vihaan lbw, sending Punjab to lunch at 84 for five; the next two sessions belonged to Punjab as Salil and Sanvir rebuilt the innings.

With the sun beating down and the pitch easing, the fast bowlers lost some of their early effectiveness; Salil and Sanvir combined patience with sharp running and occasional boundaries, both reaching half-centuries just before tea before Salil moved on to his hundred and Sanvir followed to three figures.

Punjab — 1st innings: Vihaan Malhotra lbw b Raju 30, Prabhsimran Singh lbw b Raju 24, Jashanpreet Singh Sidhu c Vijay b Sai Teja 1, Uday Saharan c Rasheed b Sai Teja 0, Ramandeep Singh c Rahul b Sai Teja 0, Salil Arora (batting) 111, Sanvir Singh (batting) 100; Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-1, nb-4): 10; Total (for five wkts. in 80 overs): 276. Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-51, 3-51, 4-51, 5-71. Andhra bowling: Saiteja 18-3-67-3, Raju 15-3-39-2, Sasikanth 11-4-35-0, Vijay 12-2-50-0, Saurabh 21-2-63-0, Rasheed 3-0-17-0.

At stumps Punjab were 276 for five in 80 overs, the sixth-wicket stand unbroken, leaving Andhra to resume bowling when play continues.