Ranji Trophy: Tanmay Agarwal leads Hyderabad charge with century
Captain hits 116 while Ravi Teja slams 72 on the first day of the Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu
Hyderabad: Captain Tanmay Agarwal led from the front with a gritty century (116 not out) as Hyderabad recovered from slump to post 256/5 in 70.4 overs on the Day One of the Group B Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Asked to bat first, Hyderabad were deep trouble losing four wickets for 46 inside 18 overs. But the southpaw showed his class with an unbeaten 210-ball century. He added 141 runs for the fifth wicket with all-rounder T Ravi Teja (72 off 97; 6×4, 3×6). At stumps, Mickil Jaiswal (32 not out off 62) was giving company to captain.
Earlier, asked to bat first under overcast conditions, Hyderabad suffered early setbacks. Overcast conditions coupled with lack of visibility delayed the start by 30 minutes. The visiting team’s pacers L Vignesh and Sandeep Warrier made the most of the conditions and moisture on the wicket.
Warrier castled the stumps of Abhirath Reddy (0) with a delivery that moved in a bit from the good length to spoil the debut of the right hander. L Vengnesh then bowled in-form batter K Rohit Rayudu with a pin-point accurate yorker that left the batter clueless.
With the scorecard reading 3/2 in five overs, Tanay Thyagarajn, who was promoted up the order to see off the new ball, counterattacked to upset the bowlers’ plans. He hit four boundaries and a six in his 23-ball 28-run stay. But he was caught at the square leg off Warrier in the 12th over. Jaweed Ali too didn’t last long as he edged left-arm spinner Sai Kishore to wicketkeeper Jagadeesan that left the host reeling at 46/4.
However, Ravi Teja, who joined his captain, had other plans. He took the attack to the opposition from the beginning. In the post-lunch session, Ravi Teja showed his array of strokes. He danced down the wicket to Sai Kishore to loft him over the boundary and threaded gaps with perfections. With his free-flowing strokeplay, he kept the scoreboard ticking.
Tanmay too was busy rotating the strike. While Tanmay reached his half-century in 115 deliveries, Ravi Teja achieved his in 71 balls .With wicket easing a bit with sun peeking through the clouds, the scoring looked much better. When Ravi Teja looked set for a well-deserved century, he hit Sandeep straight to deep point Vijay Shankar a few minutes before tea. Both added crucial partnership to take their side to 187/5.
Nexter batter Mickhil Jaiswal too looked confident as he played some beautiful strokes. Skipper Tanmay reached his three-figure mark with a backfoot punch off Sai Kishore through covers. Soon, the umpires called off the day early with fading light.
