Hyderabad protected a moderate target relying on the disciplined performance of its pacers to beat Jammu and Kashmir by 29 runs and open its Group D Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign on a positive note.
Playing at the Jadavpur University second campus ground, Hyderabad scored 257 runs while deciding to bat first. Jammu and Kashmir fought resolutely but could not accomplish the target as its lower order folded up cheaply.
Opening the batting, Tanmay Agarwal continued to show the consistency and form that made him the highest contributor for the team in the recent inter-state T20 tournament.
The 21-year-old left-hander played with authority setting up the base for a big score in company of his senior colleague Akshath Reddy.
The two figured in a 127-run partnership where Agarwal was more expressive with an aggressive 68 while Reddy anchored the run building on the other end with a patient 60.
Once Agarwal was dismissed in the 24th over, Hyderabad seemed to lose its way as Reddy went back to the pavilion two overs later.
Wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals as J&K found its way back with the stop-gap bowler Manzoor Dar getting the vital breaks.
Hyderabad captain S. Badrinath held one end with a gritty 43 while seeing a middle order collapse as the team score reached 180 for six by the 36th over.
The Hyderabad lower order played much better to help the team recover with Mehdi Hassan (28) and C.V. Milind (17) making useful contributions in seeing the score reach a respectable total.
The Hyderabad pace trio of Ravi Kiran, Milind and Mohammad Siraj teamed up well to break through the challenge of the J&K batsmen.
Milind, the left-arm pacer, was particularly miserly in the beginning as J&K batsmen found it difficult to tackle his pace and line but later it was Kiran who took three wickets.
The only occasion when Hyderabad appeared to be under pressure was when the J&K captain Parvez Rasool teamed with the opener Ahmed Omar Bandey for a 70-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rasool made a breezy 37 to make the run chase look possible.
But after his departure in the 28th over, J&K’s fight was over as Bandey waged a lone battle with a fine 87, which in the end came to no avail.
Brief scores:
Hyderabad 257 in 49.3 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 68, Akshath Reddy 60, S. Badrinath 43) bt Jammu & Kashmir 228 in 42.4 overs (Ahmed Omar Bandey 87, Parvez Rasool 37, Punit Bisht 37; Ravi Kiran three for 49, Mehdi Hassan three for 52).
At Kalyani: Services 263 for nine in 50 overs (Nakul Verma 124, S.R. Swain 32, Rahul Singh Gahlaut 26, Shaurya Sanandia four for 67) bt Saurashtra 215 in 39.4 overs (Prerak Mankad 58, Jaydev Unadkat 57, Chirag Jani 26, suraj Yadav four for 47).
Comments
SHARE