LUCKNOW, June 10 -- A regular face in long form cricket for Uttar Pradesh, Saurabh Kumar, the left-arm spinner, is all set to join Andhra Pradesh, ahead of the new domestic season. After playing for Services in 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, Baghpat's Kumar remained an integral part of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji Trophy squad till the last season, where he got 12 wickets in seven matches at an average of 74.58 and scored 214 runs with 69 being his best. Kumar's shift to Andhra Pradesh has received a stamp of approval from both the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association and the Andhra Cricket Association. A consent from the Board of Control for Cricket in India is needed but it is expected to be a mere formality. Kumar, the 32-year-old spinner, who was part of the India squad during last year's series against England as well as the overseas tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, has obtained the mandatory NOC from his home state. A prolific wicket-taker in domestic cricket, he has claimed 324 wickets in 79 first-class matches at an impressive average of 26.45. In the 2018/19 Ranji season, seven bowlers got 50-plus wickets and five of them were left-arm orthodox spinners. Saurabh was one of them. "I am excited to play for Andhra. I am looking forward to the coming season. I hope to guide Andhra to the title at least in shorter formats and to the final of the Ranji Trophy," Saurabh was quoted as saying on Monday. It is learned that Andhra did not have a great domestic season last year - lost in the preliminary quarterfinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to Uttar Pradesh after winning five out of six Group E games and did not make the knockout of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after only four wins in seven Group B games. In Ranji Trophy, they ended up with 13 points with one win, three draws and as many losses, failing to make the knockouts....