Ranji Trophy: Saurashtra beats Hyderabad by an innings and 57 runs, secures bonus point

Hyderabad now has just one point from five games with four losses. That the selectors handed out Ranji debuts to nine players this season should speak of some inconsistency on all fronts.

A jubilant Saurashtra team after the innings win against Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G

Hyderabad’s humiliation was complete within five sessions as Saurashtra thrashed it by an innings and 57 runs in the extended post-lunch session on the second day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Earlier, Saurashtra, resuming at the overnight score of 250 for five, folded for 327 in the face of a fine spell by the left-arm spinner Aniketh Reddy (seven for 95), but the lead of 248 runs proved to be good enough in the final analysis.

A better batting performance was expected by Hyderabad today. But that was not to be. First, southpaw Rohit Rayudu nicked an away going delivery on the off-stump off left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat off the fourth ball of the innings to be caught at third slip. In the next over, the other left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya trapped Alankrit Agarwal lbw.

Then, Hyderabad captain Tanmay Agarwal was unlucky to be given out lbw to Unadkat when he was way forward down the pitch, and the ball was seemingly going down the leg side.

At 18 for three in 6.4 overs, the writing was on the wall on a pitch where the Saurashtra bowlers stuck to the basics – good line and length, bowling to the field and taking optimum advantage of the extra bounce too.

Though Chandan Sahani played a breezy knock (49, 40b, 6x4, 3x6), what was needed was a more disciplined approach for a four-day game. And, when he played on to a loose stroke on off-stump after essaying a classy extra cover drive off Unadkat off the previous ball, it was ample proof of something being wrong with the attitude of the batters.

Debutant Santosh Goud (58, 125b, 4x4, 1x6), who took 29 balls to get off the mark, was the last man out. But it was obvious he was only delaying the inevitable as the pace of Unadkat and the left-arm spin of Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was good enough to bundle out the home team.

Hyderabad now has just one point from five games with four losses. That the selectors handed out Ranji debuts to nine players this season should speak of some inconsistency on all fronts.