Defending champions Tamil Nadu moved to the top of the leaderboard with a 61-run victory against Kerala that took their tally to 14 points in the K.S. Subbaiah Pillai Trophy South Zone one-day tournament here Friday.
While Tamil Nadu moved to the front, Karnataka, thanks to a century by opener Robin Uthappa (120, 99b, 11×4, 5×6), overcame overnight leaders Hyderabad by 103 runs to occupy the second spot. Hyderabad with 12 points are in the third spot as the tournament concludes Sunday. Saturday is rest day.
In the fifth and final round of matches Sunday, Karnataka take on Andhra, Tamil Nadu face Hyderabad and Goa play Kerala.
A 144-run second-wicket partnership between Uthappa and Satish Ganesh (90, 103b, 6×4, 1×6) provided a solid foundation for Karnataka who piled up 343 for seven. This proved beyond the reach of Hyderabad, who were all out for 240 despite a fighting 110 (116b, 11×4, 2×6) by opener Ravi Teja as young Ronit More delivered telling blows.
Tamil Nadu openers Abhinav Mukund (43, 74b, 4×4) and Anirudha Srikkanth (82, 96b, 5×4, 1×6) put on 107 runs to set the base for a big score while Arun Karthik (56, 51b, 5×4) chipped in usefully as the holders reached 284 for eight.
Kerala made a spirited bid but despite the best efforts of Robert Fernandez (86, 94b, 3×4, 4×6), they could manage only 223 with other batsmen unable to measure up to the task. Seamers Rajamani Jesuraj and Ganapathy Chandrasekar came away with four wickets apiece.
Meanwhile, Andhra recorded their first win in four matches as centuries by Y.Venugopal Rao (115 not out, 101b, 11×2, 2×6) and Adimani Pradeep (104, 69b, 11×4, 4×6) helped them overhaul Goa’s massive total of 383 for seven with eight balls to spare.
Openers D. Prasanth Kumar (56, 32b, 9×4, 1×6) and K.S. Shahbuddin (66, 46b, 6×4, 3×6) provided the early momentum to the chase as they put on 112 runs in just 11.1 overs. Rao and Pradeep then consolidated the position with a 195-run stand for the fifth wicket in 142 balls to ensure Andhra their first points.
For Goa, Rohit Asnodkar top scored with a fine 139 (123b, 20×4, 1×6) and Regan Pinto chipped in with 68 (66b, 5×4, 2×6). The pair added 144 for the third wicket while skipper Shadab Jakati (45 not out, 16b, 4×4, 4×6) and Robin D’Souza (37 not out, 11b, 1×4, 5×6) put on 77 runs in just four overs for the unfinished eighth wicket.
Brief scores:
Karnataka 343 for 7 in 50 overs (Robin Uthappa 120, Satish Ganesh 90; Pragyan Ojha 2-70, Ravi Teja 2-42) beat Hyderabad 240 all out in 44 overs (Ravi Teja 110, Bavanaka Sandeep 38; Ronit More 5-31, Abrar Kazi 2-42). Points: Karnataka 5 (total 13), Hyderabad -1 (12).
Tamil Nadu 284 for 8 in 50 overs (Anirudha Srikkanth 82, Arun Karthik 56; Prasanth Parameswaran 2-57, Padmanabhan Prasanth 3-54) beat Kerala 223 all out in 48.3 overs (Jagadeesh V.A. 32, Robert Fernandez 86; Rajamani Jesuraj 4-29, Ganapathy Chandrasekar 4-35). Points: Tamil Nadu 5 (14), Kerala -1 (3).
Goa 383 for 7 in 50 overs (Rohit Asnodkar 139, Regan Pinto 68; K.S. Shahbuddin 2-56, P. Vijay Kumar 2-61) lost to Andhra 385 for 6 in 48.4 overs (Y. Venugopal Rao 115 not out, Andimani Pradeep 104, Ganeshraj Narvekar 4-48). Points: Andhra 4 (2), Goa 0 (4).