Y Venugopal Rao hit a patient century to take Andhra Pradesh to a position of strength at the end of the first day's play in their Ranji Trophy league match against Hyderabad at Secunderabad.

Winning the toss, Andhra Pradesh skipper MSK Prasad had no hesitation in opting to bat first. He and his opening partner, however, were dismissed, along with number three batsman GN Srinivas, with only 21 runs on the board. Further down the line, at 50/4, Andhra Pradesh looked in serious danger of being bowled out in a hurry.

Venugopal Rao and IG Srinivas then put on an unbeaten 182 runs for the fifth wicket. Batting with caution and eschewing unnecessary risk, the pair constructed a steady partnership. At stumps, Venugopal Rao was on 106 off 269 balls, with 15 fours, while IG Srinivas hit 12 fours in his 203-ball knock of 91. Andhra Pradesh, then, found themselves at 232/4, a good position considering their disastrous start.

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