Andhra secured a one-time lead against Saurashtra by hitting a five-wicket hole (22-3-71 -5) from left spinner Lalith Mohan who drove on Thursday.
Andhra’s captain Hanuma Vihari did not force the aftermath. But a quick run from Karan Shinde (not 50 out) helped Andhra (164/7) set his 343-run target with the rest of the game. Laris was on the move again, fending off his team’s home opener Harvick Desai with his duck for a three-ball in one over. Chirag Jani and night watchman Chetan Sakariya negotiated the next over safely when his Saurashtra finished 10-1 in the 333rd minute from a win at the stumps. Blast of Destruction
An uncharacteristic batting performance by Saurashtra in the first innings of the morning session saw the hosts lose seven wickets and retire for 237, giving them a lead of 178 runs. Eve hitter Sheldon Jackson, 68, lost in the second round to left-arm fast Prithvi his large his Yara. Arpit vasavada, who built a 73-run winning streak with Jackson, followed, with Laris prompting the left-hander to slide a long ball bihari with a leg slip. Spinner Shoaib Khan dropped down the order. Larisu missed skippers Jaydev Unadkat and Sakarya with three deliveries while Shoaib surprised Samarth in the 51st. tricky call
Vihari made a difficult decision over lunch. He initially chose to give the bowlers time to put their feet up, but then withdrew the call and wanted to force the follow-on to “score an extra point”. However, the referee legally disobeyed his request.
In hindsight, Vihari’s instinctive decision ensured all outcomes were possible on Friday.