Amandeep Khare’s patience and problem-solving skills helped Chhattisgarh close in on a crucial first-innings lead over Andhra on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group ‘B’ fixture at the DVR Ground on Tuesday.
Khare remained unbeaten on 74 to take Chhattisgarh to 216/8, just 15 runs behind Andhra’s 231, before the skies darkened as Cyclone Arnab approached the interiors of Andhra Pradesh.
Windy conditions prevailed throughout the day, and Chhattisgarh’s batters also had to negotiate a disciplined Andhra bowling attack, particularly the spin trio of Saurabh Kumar, Tripurana Vijay and Lalith Mohan.
Batting at No. 4, Khare showed conviction in his defence, but the team also needed him to keep the scoreboard ticking. Andhra’s spinners mostly operated with seven fielders on the off side, asking Khare and the other batters to play across the line.
Chhattisgarh, which has managed just one point from its first two games, was in no mood to take risks. It showed the willingness to bat time and wait for bad balls, which Andhra bowlers did not offer a lot.
Khare mostly stayed back and switched between a middle-stump and leg-stump guard, trying to find angles on the off side. When the spinners occasionally pitched on leg stump, he pushed the ball towards the on side to pick up runs.
He added 33 runs with captain Anuj Tiwary and 27 with Rahul Pradhan before stitching together a 151-ball stand with Ajay Mandal, who adopted a similar approach. The pair added 56 runs, but Andhra bowlers repeatedly reaped rewards for their consistency and discipline in bowling to their fields.
Mandal’s dismissal after Tea, against pacer K. V. Sasikanth, followed by Jayant Yadav’s wicket off Mohan, meant Chhattisgarh still trailed by 42 runs with only three wickets in hand.
Khare batted for nearly 10 more overs with No. 9 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja but continued to resist the temptation to take on the bowling. Jadeja was eventually caught at slip, opening the game up again. However, a couple of streaky boundaries kept Chhattisgarh in the hunt, while each single was applauded by the visiting camp before the umpires called stumps.
