Tanay and Anikethreddy shine as Hyderabad draws with Puducherry

Hyderabad took a vital first-innings lead against Puducherry, as the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match in Puducherry ended in a draw on Tuesday

Hyderabad: Hyderabad took a vital first-innings lead against Puducherry, as the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match in Puducherry ended in a draw on Tuesday.

Resuming at the overnight score of 92 for 8 in reply to Hyderabad’s challenging 435, the home team folded for 126 in the face of strong bowling by left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan, who claimed 4 for 48, and was well supported by another left-arm spinner, G. Anikethreddy (2 for 25).

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Apart from Aman Khan’s breezy knock (33, 47b, 3×4, 1×6), there was little to celebrate about Puducherry’s batting after rain delayed the start of play in the morning session.

Forced to follow on, Puducherry managed to salvage a draw, finishing at 97 for 5 in 42 overs in the second innings. Openers Ganga Sridhar Raju (27, 30b, 5×4) and Akash Kargave (21, 54b, 4×4) consumed invaluable time out there in the middle, thwarting the spirited Hyderabad bowling attack.

Tanay and Anikethreddy picked up two wickets each, but with not enough time available on the final day to force a result, Puducherry escaped with a draw, thanks to frequent stoppages caused by rain.

Hyderabad now has four points from two games, having earlier conceded the first-innings lead to Delhi in the season opener at home.

Hyderabad’s next away game is against Himachal Pradesh in Himachal Pradesh from November 1.

The scores: Hyderabad 435 in 134.5 overs drew with Puducherry 126 in 45.5 overs (Anand Bais 41, Aman Khan 33, Punnaiah 3/20, Tanay Thyagarajan 4/48) & 97/5 in 42 overs (Tanay Thyagarajan 2/35, G Anikethreddy 2/25)