Published: November 3, 2026 at 7:19 pm
G Aniketh Reddy and Tanay Thyagarajan kept Hyderabad’s hopes of taking the first innings lead alive after Chhattisgarh left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja had derailed the hosts’ innings on the second day of their four-day Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match at the Gymkhana ground in Secunderabad on Tuesday.
No.9 bat Tanay and No.10 Aniketh added 50 off 71 balls to take Hyderabad within striking distance of Chhattisgarh’s 284. At stumps on the second day, Hyderabad were 275 for nine with Tanay batting on 29 and C Rakshann Readdi on 1. Hyderabad still need 10 runs for the vital lead.
Earlier in the day, Hyderabad pacers needed just 3.1 overs to wipe off the Chhattisgarh tail. Resuming at their overnight score of 279 for seven, the visitors lost Jayant Yadav for the addition of just one run to the total. Jayant added nothing to his overnight score of 36 as he was bowled by Rakshann Readdi.
Chhattisgarh and Hyderabad share honours on first day after an intense battle for supremacy
Then skipper and left-arm seamer CV Milind got into the act as he struck twice in consecutive overs. Milind first had Ajay Mandal caught by Rakshann for 10 and then had last man Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (2) caught by Himateja. Chhattisgarh were bowled out for 284 in 90.1 overs with Milind taking three for 19 and Rakshann getting three for 37. Aniketh Reddy took two for 59.
Hyderabad made a sorry beginning as southpaw Tanmay Agarwal was caught by Anuj Tiwary off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja for 3 with seven on the board.
However, Abhirath Reddy and Rahul Radesh steadied the innings with a solid partnership. The duo added 58 for the second wicket off 123 balls before Abhirath was caught and bowled by Jayant Yadav. Abhirath made 35 off 60 balls with three fours.
Abhirath contributed 35 off 58 balls and Rahul made 21 off 65 balls for the second wicket partnership.
Rahul and K Himateja then defied the Chhattisgarh bowlers as they build a solid partnership. They added 73 off 118 balls before Himateja perished. Himateja, who was aggressive partner, contributed 46 off 67 balls, while Rahul made 25 off 51 balls.
Himateja struck three fours and two sixes before he was castled by pacer Dev Aditya Singh to end the enterprising partnership.
A Varun Goud joined Rahul in the middle and they 35 for the fourth wicket with Varun scoring 23 off 45 balls with three fours. Left-arm spinner Darmendrasinh Jadeja then struck by having Varun caught by P Yadav.
Jadeja puts Hyderabad under pressure
From here on, Hyderabad came under pressure as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Wicketkeeper Pragnay Reddy was bowled by Jadeja for 17 off 13 balls with two fours and a six.
Jadeja then struck a telling blow as he had the well-set Rahul caught by A Pandey to reduced Hyderabad to 210 for six. Rahul made 72 off 174 balls with four boundaries.
The left-arm spinner got his fifth wicket when he had Hyderabad skipper Milind (1) caught by Ajay Mandal to leave Hyderabad in a delicate position at 212 for seven.
Pacer Aditya Singh then bowled M Ruthik Yaav (4) and Hyderabad were suddenly in danger of conceding the vital first innings lead as they were reeling at 212 for eight.
Tanay and Aniketh rescue Hyderabad
However, Tanay Thyagarajan and G Aniketh Reddy joined forces to keep their side in contention for lead. Aniketh used the long handle to get some quick runs as the duo added 50 vital runs for the ninth wicket before left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal ended Aniketh’s adventurous knock by having him caught by Aditya Singh. Aniketh made 32 off 31 balls with five boundaries.
Hyderabad still needed 23 for the lead with the last pair at the crease. It was left to Tanay to somehow get those runs and the lead for Hyderabad. Tanay hit Mandal for a six to bring down the equation. Jadeja finished with five for 84 and Aditya Singh got two for 48.
Brief scores: Chhattisgarh 284 in 90.1 overs (Anuj Tiwary 72, Mayank Verama 36, Vikalp Tiwari 69, Jayant Yadav 36, Prateek Yadav 27; CV Milind 3/19, C Rakshann Readdi 3/37, G Aniketh Reddy 2/59) vs Hyderabad 275 for nine in 83 overs (Abhirath Reddy 35, Rahul Radesh 72, K Himateja 46, A Varun Goud 23, G Aniketh Reddy 32, Tanay Thyagarajan 29 batting; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 5/84, Dev Aditya Singh 2/48).
