<p class="title">A collective bowling effort put Andhra Cricket Association in the driver’s seat against Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh in the final of Dr (Capt) Thimmappiah Memorial tournament here on Sunday. </p>.<p class="bodytext">On the second day here at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Andhra rode on useful knocks from Karan Shinde (52) and G Manish (42) to post a respectable 313 all out. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Ricky Bhui’s men then seized the initiative by reducing their opponents for 131/7 at the end of the second day’s play. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Andhra resumed from 215/5 and Shinde, who was overnight 24, made a patient 52 before getting out leg before wicket to Punit Datey. Shinde’s knock came off 133 balls with eight hits to the fence. The southpaw forged a crucial 47-run alliance with G Manish, who made 42. Manish, whose knocks lower down the order in the semifinal helped Andhra pull off a fine win over KSCA XI, hit four fours and one six.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Once the partnership was broken, Chhattisgarh didn’t allow another rearguard act from Andhra and completed formalities. For Chhattisgarh, Ajay Mandal (4/65) and Punit Datey (3/35) shared seven wickets between them. KV Sasikanth (3/29) topped the wickets column while CH Stephen (2/46) and Girinath Reddy P (2/40) chipped in two wickets apiece for Andhra. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Chhattisgarh got off to a disastrous start, losing their first two wickets for just seven runs by the fourth over. Ashutosh Singh (31) and Amandeep Khare (45) steadied the ship with a 62-run stand. Stephen provided the much-needed breakthrough for Andhra by castling Ashutosh. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Chattisgarh lost their way after Ashutosh’s dismissal. For just 62 runs, they lost four wickets. Trailing by 182 runs and with just three wickets in hand, Chhattisgarh stare at an onerous task of making a match out of this. They will require strong resistance from their lower-order and better bowling performance in the second essay to come back into the contest. </p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Brief scores:</span> Andhra Cricket Association (O/n: 215/5): 313 all out in 117.1 overs (Karan Shinde 52, G Manish 42; Ajay Mandal 4-65, Punit Datey 3-35) vs Chhattisgarh State C S: 131/7 in 37 overs (Ashutosh Singh 31, Amandeep 45; KV Sasikanth 3-29, CH Stephen 2-46, Girinath Reddy P 2-40).</p>
<p class="title">A collective bowling effort put Andhra Cricket Association in the driver’s seat against Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh in the final of Dr (Capt) Thimmappiah Memorial tournament here on Sunday. </p>.<p class="bodytext">On the second day here at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Andhra rode on useful knocks from Karan Shinde (52) and G Manish (42) to post a respectable 313 all out. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Ricky Bhui’s men then seized the initiative by reducing their opponents for 131/7 at the end of the second day’s play. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Andhra resumed from 215/5 and Shinde, who was overnight 24, made a patient 52 before getting out leg before wicket to Punit Datey. Shinde’s knock came off 133 balls with eight hits to the fence. The southpaw forged a crucial 47-run alliance with G Manish, who made 42. Manish, whose knocks lower down the order in the semifinal helped Andhra pull off a fine win over KSCA XI, hit four fours and one six.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Once the partnership was broken, Chhattisgarh didn’t allow another rearguard act from Andhra and completed formalities. For Chhattisgarh, Ajay Mandal (4/65) and Punit Datey (3/35) shared seven wickets between them. KV Sasikanth (3/29) topped the wickets column while CH Stephen (2/46) and Girinath Reddy P (2/40) chipped in two wickets apiece for Andhra. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Chhattisgarh got off to a disastrous start, losing their first two wickets for just seven runs by the fourth over. Ashutosh Singh (31) and Amandeep Khare (45) steadied the ship with a 62-run stand. Stephen provided the much-needed breakthrough for Andhra by castling Ashutosh. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Chattisgarh lost their way after Ashutosh’s dismissal. For just 62 runs, they lost four wickets. Trailing by 182 runs and with just three wickets in hand, Chhattisgarh stare at an onerous task of making a match out of this. They will require strong resistance from their lower-order and better bowling performance in the second essay to come back into the contest. </p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Brief scores:</span> Andhra Cricket Association (O/n: 215/5): 313 all out in 117.1 overs (Karan Shinde 52, G Manish 42; Ajay Mandal 4-65, Punit Datey 3-35) vs Chhattisgarh State C S: 131/7 in 37 overs (Ashutosh Singh 31, Amandeep 45; KV Sasikanth 3-29, CH Stephen 2-46, Girinath Reddy P 2-40).</p>
