Hyderabad’s depth in batting came to the fore as T. Ravi Teja and Tanay Thyagarajan’s 109-run partnership for the eighth wicket rescued the team from dire straits against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at the Barabati Stadium here on Friday.
Resuming from 15 for two, Hyderabad was reduced to 70 for seven before Ravi (81 n.o., 196b, 6x4, 2x6) and Tanay (52, 103b, 7x4) scored valuable half-centuries to enable their side to score 205 in the first innings and deny Bengal a big advantage on the second day.
Bengal, which managed a 37-run first innings lead, was at 16 for one in its second essay.
Pick of the bowlers
Operating with a fairly new ball in the morning, Bengal seamers put the Hyderabad batters to test frequently. Mukesh, who captured four wickets because of his accuracy and subtle movement, was the pick of the bowlers.
Mukesh improved his overnight figure of two for three by claiming two more. On a track offering dodgy bounce, Himalay Agarwal, beginning from 10, was surprised by a rising delivery and was caught at gully in the fifth over of the day.
Prateek Reddy lost his off-stump while shouldering arms to Mukesh on back foot.
Buddhi Rahul, skipper Tanmay Agarwal (29) and Mickil Jaiswal fell before lunch to thrill Bengal.
Sensible batting
However, the left-handed pair of Ravi and Tanay, who shared eight wickets between them on Thursday, batted sensibly to steady the ship. As conditions eased out, they unleashed some boundaries to put pressure on the Bengal bowlers.
Ravi, who played with control early on, displayed his range of shots on both sides later. In contrast, Tanay, who began with some cracking fours, showed restraint as the two tried to close the gap with Bengal.
Bengal heaved a sigh of relief when part-timer Manoj Tiwary had Tanay, who scored his maiden fifty, caught behind.
Ravi saw Hyderabad cross the 200 mark and remained not out. “I am used to batting in this kind of situation. I knew their bowlers cannot bowl the same way in humid conditions. I had to stay there as Tanay could bat,” said Ravi.
The scores:
Bengal — 1st innings: 242.
Hyderabad — 1st innings: Tanmay Agarwal c Tiwary b Ishan 29, Akshath Reddy c Abishek b Mukesh 0, Tilak Varma b Mukesh 0, Himalay Agarwal c Gharami b Mukesh 16, Prateek Reddy b Mukesh 6, Buddhi Rahul c Abishek b Akash 4, T. Ravi Teja (not out) 81, Mickil Jaiswal b Mandal 2, Tanay Thyagarajan c Abishek b Tiwary 52, Rakshann Readdi lbw b Shahbaz 0, B. Punnaiah run out 4; Extras (b-6, lb-4, w-1): 11; Total (in 80 overs) 205.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-4, 3-28, 4-40, 5-45, 6-61, 7-70, 8-179, 9-195.
Bengal bowling: Ishan 18-3-59-1, Mukesh 24-8-49-4, Akash 23-7-45-1, Mandal 4-2-9-1, Shahbaz 8-1-21-1, Tiwary 3-0-12-1.
Bengal — 2nd innings: Sudip Gharami b Rakshann 0, Abhimanyu Easwaran (batting) 10, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (batting) 3; Extras (b-1, lb-2): 3; Total (for one wkt. in 8 overs): 16.
Fall of wicket: 1-0.
Hyderabad bowling: Rakshann 4-3-5-1, Ravi Teja 2-1-4-0, Punnaiah 2-0-4-0.
