Atul, Mridul and Amanpreet propel HP 314/9 against UP

Lucknow: , , and scored half-centuries to help Himachal Pradesh post 314 for 9 in 89.2 overs against Uttar Pradesh on the opening day of the Col CK Nayudu Trophy U-23 match at Luhnu Cricket Ground, Bilaspur, on Thursday. Put in to bat, HP openers Atul Jaiswal and Raghav Angra (12) added 46 runs off 55 balls for the first wicket. Kabir Singh (7) and Praval Singh (6) also fell cheaply, while Atul smashed a brisk 52 off 44 balls, hitting 11 boundaries before being cleaned up by Ankur Sharma. UP bowlers dominated till lunch, reducing the hosts to 90 for 4 in 29.2 overs. Post lunch Amanpreet Singh and skipper Mridul steadied the innings with a solid 131-run partnership off 236 balls for the fifth wicket. Captain Mridul played a fine knock of 78 off 146 balls, studded with nine boundaries and two sixes. Amanpreet too registered a half-century, scoring 65 off 111 balls with five boundaries and three sixes, before being caught by Rituraj Sharma off Shubham Mishra at 221 for 5 in 58.4 overs. After Amanpreet's dismissal, Vaibhav Kalta (40) joined Mridul, but the captain was run out by Rituraj Sharma off Kartik Yadav at 229 for 6. Vaibhav and Aditya Chauhan added 54 runs off 104 balls in the post-lunch session. However, wicketkeeper-batter Vaibhav was dismissed by Shubham Mishra at 283 for 7. Prashant Kumar (4) and Aditya Chauhan (32) were at the crease when stumps were drawn.