Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad and now Andhra. Different opponents, but one common denominator — Salil Arora. Four matches, four centuries on the trot.

The Punjab wicketkeeper-batter extended his purple patch ((111 batting, 186b, 11x4, 3x6) as he combined with Sanvir Singh (100 batting, 183b, 10x4) to rescue his side from trouble with an unbroken 205-run sixth-wicket partnership on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fourth-round clash at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium here on Monday.

Punjab posted 276 for five in 80 overs at stumps, a position that had looked some distance away when Andhra’s pacers had the host on the mat in the morning.

There was enough grass on the surface for cattle to graze, and Andhra skipper Ricky Bhui’s decision to bowl was quickly vindicated.

Prabhsimran Singh began positively, finding the boundary on either side of the wicket, before K.S.N. Raju trapped him in front in the eighth over.

K. Sai Teja inflicted further damage, dismissing Jashanpreet Singh, skipper Uday Saharan and Ramandeep Singh in the 16th over to leave Punjab reeling at 51 for four.

The Andhra fielders had their tails up, with rhythmic clapping and constant chirping adding to the pressure.

Vihaan Malhotra and Salil attempted to weather the storm, but Raju trapped the former plumb in front as Punjab went to lunch at 84 for five.

If the morning session belonged to Andhra, the next two were Punjab’s, thanks to the Salil-Sanvir show.

With the sun beating down and the pitch appearing to ease out, the fast bowlers began to lose their early sharpness.

Salil and Sanvir initially showed patience, ran well between the wickets and kept the scoreboard ticking, while also finding the odd boundary as the two brought up their respective half-centuries just before tea.

Salil continued to flourish after the break, finding the gaps with ease before reaching his milestone. Sanvir followed suit, bringing up his landmark and leaving Andhra wondering how a morning of promise had turned into an afternoon of frustration.

The scores: Punjab — 1st innings: Vihaan Malhotra lbw b Raju 30, Prabhsimran Singh lbw b Raju 24, Jashanpreet Singh Sidhu c Vijay b Sai Teja 1, Uday Saharan c Rasheed b Sai Teja 0, Ramandeep Singh c Rahul b Sai Teja 0, Salil Arora (batting) 111, Sanvir Singh (batting) 100; Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-1, nb-4): 10; Total (for five wkts. in 80 overs): 276.

Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-51, 3-51, 4-51, 5-71.

Andhra bowling: Saiteja 18-3-67-3, Raju 15-3-39-2, Sasikanth 11-4-35-0, Vijay 12-2-50-0, Saurabh 21-2-63-0, Rasheed 3-0-17-0.

Toss: Andhra.