Kanpur: Kavya Teotia and Rituraj Sharma struck fine knocks of 89 and 88 respectively, forging a crucial 148-run partnership for the third wicket to help Uttar Pradesh post a respectable 323 for 7 against hosts Chhattisgarh on the opening day of their 4-day under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy match played at the BSP Cricket stadium in Bhilai on Friday.After a moderate start by captain Adarsh Singh and Deepak Rana, UP were placed in a strong position by Teotia and Rituraj, who added 146 runs after the team slipped to 63 for 2. However, once the partnership was broken, wickets fell at regular intervals, preventing UP from capitalising fully on the platform.
For Chhattisgarh, left-arm spinner Deepak Yadav was the standout performer, claiming 5 wickets for 64 runs and keeping the visitors in check throughout the day.UP captain Adarsh Singh won the toss and elected to bat first. Adarsh, who was initially selected for the UP Ranji Trophy squad but later shifted to the under-23 side at the coach’s request, led the team as captain and opened the innings with Deepak Rana. The pair provided a steady start before Adarsh was bowled by Deepak Yadav for 25, which included 5 boundaries. Shortly after, Rana was caught by Rahul Pradhan for 35 off 41 balls, laced with 7 fours, leaving UP at 63 for 2.From there, Teotia and Rituraj took control with solid defence and fluent stroke play. Rituraj played the more aggressive role, hitting 10 fours and 3 sixes, before he was caught in the deep by Vasudev Bareth off Deepak Yadav after scoring 88 off 127 balls. Teotia narrowly missed his century and was also caught by Bareth in the deep, scoring 89 off 175 balls with 7 boundaries.Deepak added another wicket late in the day by dismissing Shubham Mishra for 4. At stumps, Kartikeya Singh (26) and Akshu Bajwa (17) were at the crease, adding an unbeaten 35-run standoff 86 balls.Earlier, UP also lost Mohd Aman (11) and Ali Zafar Mohsin (21), slipping from 211 for 3 to 274 for 5.UP coach Gyanendra Pandey later praised Teotia and Rituraj, saying both batted exceptionally well and were unlucky to miss out on centuries. He expressed hope that the remaining batsmen would take the total close to 400, giving the bowlers a strong base to defend.Brief score:UP first innings-323 for 7 (Adarsh Singh 25, Deepak Rana 35, Kavya Teotia 89, Rituraj Sharma 88, Mohd Aman 11, Ali Zafar Mohsin 21, Kartikeya Singh 26no, Shubham Mishra 4, Akshu Bajwa 17no; Deepak Yadav 5 for 84, Varun Singh 2 for 64).
