Salil Arora and Sanvir Singh hit unbeaten tons to rescue Punjab from 71/5 against Andhra on day one of the Ranji Trophy. Elsewhere, Pradosh Ranjan Paul scored 138 not out for Tamil Nadu against Chandigarh. Meanwhile, 20 wickets fell in Dharamsala as Himachal Pradesh took a lead over Rajasthan.

Punjab recovered from 71/5, while Himachal Pradesh took a first-innings lead and Tamil Nadu and Gujarat enjoyed strong opening days, with big scores from Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Aarya Desai.

Salil Arora continued his prolific start to the Ranji Trophy season with an unbeaten 111 as Punjab recovered from 71/5 to reach 276/5 in their Group B match against Andhra in New Chandigarh. Arora and Sanvir Singh, who was also unbeaten on 100, added 205 for the sixth wicket to rescue Punjab.

Brief scores: Punjab 276/5 in 80 overs (Salil Arora 111 not out, Sanvir Singh 100 not out; Kavuri Saiteja 3/65) vs Andhra.

20 wickets fall in Dharamsala

20 wickets fell on the opening day of the Group D clash between Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in Dharamsala. Rajasthan were bowled out for 78 after winning the toss, with Abhishek Kumar taking 5/14. Ankush Bains' 56 and Pukhraj Mann's 42 gave Himachal a first-innings lead, but Sahil Dhiwan's 5/50 restricted them to 153, setting up an intriguing second day.

Brief scores: Rajasthan 78 in 30.3 overs (Abhishek Kumar 5/14, Jitender Rana 3/22) and 8/0 in one over trail Himachal Pradesh 153 in 40 overs (Ankush Bains 56, Pukhraj Mann 42; Sahil Dhiwan 5/50) by 67 runs.

Pradosh stars for TN

Pradosh Ranjan Paul's unbeaten 138 headlined a dominant opening day for Tamil Nadu in their Group D clash against Chandigarh at the Sector 16 stadium. The left-hander shared a 139-run stand with Baba Indrajith, who made 51, for the third wicket before adding an unbeaten 66 with G Ajitesh to take TN to 320/4.

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 320/4 in 86 overs (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 138 not out, N Jagadeesan 52, Baba Indrajith 51) vs Chandigarh.

Desai, Urvil star for Gujarat

Aarya Desai's 95 off 132 balls helped Gujarat reach 300/5 against Kerala on the opening day of their Group C clash in Ahmedabad. Desai, who made 151 against Maharashtra last week, struck six fours and three sixes, and shared a 116-run opening stand with Abhishek Desai. The hosts suffered a middle-order wobble, but Urvil Patel and Vishal Jayswal brought the innings back on track, with an 111-run unbroken stand for the sixth wicket.

Brief scores: Gujarat 300/5 in 83 overs (Aarya Desai 95; Urvil Patel 63 not out, Vishal Jayswal 50 not out) vs Kerala.