Hyderabad have their task cut out as they need to get 246 on the final day with eight wickets in hand in their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh at the Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad on Thursday.
Chasing 259 for victory, Hyderabad suffered a double blow in the first over itself as pacer Dev Aditya Singh rocked the Hyderabad innings.
Dev Aditya had Tanmay Agarwal (0) caught by Prateek Yadav off the third ball and off the next one had Ruthik Yadav (0) caught by Ajay Mandal to leave the hosts at 0 for two.
However, Abhirath Reddy (8) and Rahul Radesh (3) saw Hyderabad through the remaining four overs as Hyderabad were 13 for two at stumps on the penultimate day’s play on Wednesday.
The hosts still need 246 on the final day’s play but it may not be that easy looking at the way the wicket played on the third day. Thirteen wickets fell on the day and one may only expect the worse to happen on the morrow.
Unless Hyderabad batters come up with an inspired show, Chhattisgarh could go home with full points from the match.
Hyderabad conceded 4-run first innings lead
In the morning, Hyderabad conceded a narrow four-run first innings lead but hit back to reduce Chhattisgarh to 199 for nine before Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Dev Aditya Singh added a vital 55 for the last wicket which helped the visitors reach 254 and set Hyderabad a target of 259 to win the game.
Resuming at their overnight score of 275 for nine, Hyderabad added five to the total before being bowled out. Tanay Thyagarajan got those five runs to take his score to 34 before he was trapped leg before by off-spinner Jayant Yadav.
But those four runs were not a big deal as there was plenty of play left and everything to fight for.
Chhattisgarh tried to consolidate their position with openers Aayush Pandey and Anuj Tiwary looking for a big score. However, pacer Rakshann Readdi struck in the fourth over of the innings when he trapped Aayush (10) leg before left-arm spinner G Aniketh Reddy sent back the dangerous Anuj. The Chhattisgarh skipper was caught by wicketkeeper Pragnay Reddy for 17 off 32 balls with three fours.
The visitors sunk even further down as they lost Vikalp Tiwari who was caught by Varun Goud off Ruthik Yadav for 14 off 26 balls with two fours.
Chhattisgarh were reduced to 47 for three and Hyderabad had their tails up. However, wicketkeeper Mayank Verma and Sanjeet Desai struck half-centuries to bail out their side.
The duo kept the Hyderabad bowlers at bay for nearly 33 overs as they added 115 off 196 balls with Mayank being the aggressive of the duo. He contributed 62 off 73 balls while Sanjeet made 51 off 123 balls.
Aniketh, Tanay keep Hyderabad hopes alive after Jadeja rocks the hosts with five wickets
Left-arm spinner Tanay got into the act to pull Hyderabad back into the game. He bowled Sanjeet who struck five fours and a six in his innings. Mayank and Prateek Yadav (18) added 28 before Abhirath Reddy bowled Prateek.
To make matters worse for Chhattisgarh, Rakshann castled Mayank to leave the visitors at 196 for six. Mayank made 81 off 111 balls with eight fours and a six.
Jadeja, Aditya defy Hyderabad attack
Hyderabad struck three quick blows to bring the visitors down to their knees. Ajay Mandal (0) was caught by Tanmay Agarwal off Aniketh Reddy and Jayant Yadav (0) was also bowled by Aniketh Reddy.
Rakshann then struck a big blow by having Amandeep Khare (6) caught by Abhirath Reddy to leave Chhattisgarh at 199 for nine.
But No.10 Dev Aditya Singh and No.11 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja defied the Hyderabad attack as they refused to roll over and give up the fight.
Jadeja, who was one of Saurashtra’s star players till he changed teams, struck a 37-ball 38 with five fours and a six before off-spinner Ruthik got the much-needed breakthrough for Hyderabad. Ruthik trapped Jadeja leg before but by then the Chhattisgarh duo had added 55 for the last wicket off 66 balls. Dev Aditya was unbeaten on 17 off 33 balls.
Chhattisgarh managed to reach 254 in 68.4 overs and take a overall lead of 258. Rakshann took three for 45 and Aniketh got three for 68 while Ruthik Yadav claimed two for 35.
Brief scores: Chhattisgarh 284 & 254 in 68.4 overs (Mayank Verma 81, Sanjeet Desai 51 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 38, Dev Aditya Singh 17 not out; Rakshann Readdi 3/45, Aniketh Reddy 3/68, Ruthik Yadav 2/35) vs Hyderabad 280 in 86.1 overs (Abhirath Reddy 35, Rahul Radesh 72, K Himateja 46, A Varun Goud 23, Tanay Thyagarajan 34, Aniketh Reddy 32; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 5/84, Dev Aditya Singh 2/52, Jayant Yadav 2/75) & Hyderabad 13 for two in 4.5 overs (Dev Aditya Singh 2/7).
