Hyderabad: Leg-spinner Akash Bhandari took four wickets before number eight batsman Deepak Punia's unbeaten fifty helped Services recover to 235 for seven on the opening day of their Group C Ranji Trophy cricket match against Hyderabad here on Sunday.
Opting to bat, Soumik Chatterjee (70) and Nakul Verma (27) took Services to a healthy score of 85 for one. Bhandari broke that partnership with the wicket of Verma.
Services could not manage any decent stand after that and slipped to 161 for seven.
Key batsmen Rajat Paliwal (14) and Yashpal Singh (27) could not push on from their starts. Yashpal was bowled by Bhandari.
Punia and Abhishek Sakuja prevented further damage with an unbeaten 74-run stand. Punia struck three fours and four sixes in his 61, while Sakuja consumed 79 balls for his 18.
Brief Scores:
Services: 235 for 7 in 90 overs (Soumik Chatterjee 70, Deepak Punia 61 batting; Akash Bhandari 4/64).
