Rajasthan holds Hyderabad to a draw in Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match

Rajasthan earned a hard-fought draw against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Salman Khan, Mahipal Lomror, and Sachin Yadav anchored Rajasthan’s second innings after Hyderabad gained a first-innings lead

Hyderabad: Rajasthan salvaged a creditable draw against Hyderabad in the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Tuesday.

Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 198 for seven in the second innings, Hyderabad declared its innings at 244 for nine in 78 overs, with only Rohit Rayudu (42, 89b, 1×4, 1×6) and G. Anikethreddy (21 n.o., 37b, 2×4) batting well.

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For Rajasthan, captain and left-arm spinner Mahipal Lomror (four for 51) bowled well, striking at regular intervals to ensure that the home team spent more time in the middle, giving that much-needed breather to his side.

When Rajasthan batted again, chasing an improbable victory target of 340, the focus was more on saving the match than taking any undue risks.

Openers Sachin Yadav (44, 57b, 5×4, 1×6) and Salman Khan (79, 138b, 4×4, 2×6) put on 79 runs before left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan had Sachin caught behind by Rahul Radesh in the 18th over.

Then, a handy 94-run partnership between Salman and Mahipal Lomror (40, 93b, 3×4) for the second wicket effectively dashed whatever hopes Hyderabad might have entertained of pulling off something dramatic.

Though left-arm spinner G. Anikethreddy dismissed Mahipal and Tanay Thyagarajan trapped Salman lbw in quick succession to make it 175 for three in 48.3 overs, it was too late for any dramatic result, and Rajasthan was content with the draw after conceding the vital first-innings lead.

Rahul Radesh, who scored a brilliant century for Hyderabad, was named the ‘Player of the Match’.

Hyderabad now has 13 points from four games, while Rajasthan has nine from as many matches.

The scores:
Hyderabad 364 in 104.1 overs and 244 for nine declared in 78 overs (Rohit Rayudu 42, Mahipal Lomror 4/51, Ashok Sharma 2/33) drew with Rajasthan 269 in 94.4 overs and 207 for three in 57 overs (Sachin Yadav 44, Salman Khan 79, Mahipal Lomror 40, Tanay Thyagarajan 2/71).