Eklavya Dwivedi, Himanshu Asnora fifties help UP to 272/9 on Day 1

Contrasting fifties from duo help Uttar Pradesh post 272 for nine against Gujarat.

Valsad: Contrasting fifties from skipper Eklavya Dwivedi and Himanshu Asnora helped Uttar Pradesh post 272 for nine against Gujarat on Day 1 of their Group B Ranji Trophy cricket match here.

Electing to bat, UP were hit by early strikes but Dwivedi (50) and Asnora's (56 not out) 61-run fifth wicket stand saw the visitors recover well against a disciplined Gujarat bowling attack. If Dwivedi's 50 came in 41 balls, laced with 9 fours and a six, then Asnora has taken 134 balls for his knock so far. 

After useful knocks up the order by Almas Shaukat (40) and Umang Sharma (32), UP also saw lower-order contributions by Piyush Chawla (29 not out) and Saurabh Kumar (26). Rush Kalaria led the bowling attack with aplomb, picking up three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Ramesh Powar bagged two wickets apiece. Rujul Bhatt and Axar patel also chipped in with a wicket each. 

Brief Scores: Uttar Pradesh 272/9 in 90 overs (Eklavya Dwivedi 50, Himanshu Asnora 56 not out; Rush Kalaria 3-51)