Domestic cricket brilliance on show at Gymkhana Ground
Chhattisgarh pulled off a dramatic draw against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D at Gymkhana Ground, Secunderabad. Amandeep Khare and Dev Aditya’s ninth-wicket stand showcased grit and skill, with Mohd Siraj leading Hyderabad’s spirited bowling attack
Hyderabad: Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad has a rich history of some of the finest cricket players making a mark in domestic cricket before making it to the national team.
And there could not have been a better advertisement for domestic first-class cricket than the way Chhattisgarh, led by captain Amandeep Khare and the spirited Dev Aditya Singh, guided the team to a dramatic draw against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D last league encounter of the season for the two teams at the venue on Sunday.
It was a fascinating day of cricket for sheer intensity, excitement, grit and grand fightback. The fact that India fast bowler Mohd Siraj, who never gives up till the last ball is bowled, spearheaded the home team attack was a pointer to the level of intensity he expected from his teammates.
The fourth-day pitch was never really a nightmare as it would have been expected in a Ranji Trophy game. The odd ball kicked up when the left-arm spinners Tanay Thyagarajan and G Anikethreddy bowled from both ends.
But the innings of Amandeep and Dev Aditya was a gentle reminder, if one needed, that domestic cricket still holds its own aura. National selector Pragyan Ojha, who watched the proceedings, would have been delighted to see such a contest unfold on the final day.
It was clearly batting of the highest order, countering the innumerable attempts Siraj and his boys made to rattle them. But both Amandeep and Dev Aditya were in a different zone.
A batting performance that would have taught any young talent the essence of building an innings, stroke selection, temperament and, importantly, the mental toughness needed to move up in one’s career.
That frustration crept into the Hyderabad camp was palpable when the Chhattisgarh duo was at the crease, stringing together a massive, unbroken stand for the ninth wicket. Siraj and Dev Aditya were involved in a heated exchange in mid-pitch after the striker Dev Aditya played one to third man and bumped into the bowler as he was looking at the ball. But those moments were understandable as better sense prevailed rather quickly.
The game went on and it was a joy to see such a fascinating contest, with Chhattisgarh saving the match from a seemingly impossible position.
Can there be a better sight than Siraj hugging Amandeep at the end of the match in appreciation of what was truly one of the great knocks in a Ranji game at the venue?
That was cricket of the highest order and also suggested how different it will be if India stars play in Ranji Trophy.
And hats off to the BCCI official scorers P Chandrasekhar (also a well-known sports analyst) and Srihari Chari, without whom the story would have been incomplete, for tracking every ball in such a thriller which was eventually called off after eight mandatory overs.
