Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Hingrajia’s unbeaten 174 guides Gujarat to 334/8 against Hyderabad on day 1

Manan Hingrajia’s unbeaten 174 off 259 balls steered Gujarat to 334/8 at the end of day one against Hyderabad at the Gymkhana Ground.

Manan Hingrajia celebrates after scoring a century. | Photo Credit: V.V. Subrahmanyam

Southpaw Manan Hingrajia played a stunning rearguard innings, scoring an unbeaten 174 (259b, 24x4, 2x6), which helped Gujarat recover from a crisis at 98 for five before Lunch to end the first day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group match against Hyderabad on 334 for eight at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad on Friday.

Electing to bat, Gujarat found itself in trouble early, with left-arm pacer Chama Milind striking in the third ball of the innings, inducing a poor stroke from opener Rishi Patel, who was caught by Rohit Rayudu at covers.

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Gujarat then lost wickets at regular intervals, with pacer Rakshann Readdi taking a wicket and debutant Saranu Nishanth picking up two. Shortly after, Nishanth bowled Umang Kumar with a beauty, beating the batter with pace and late swing.

Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan then dismissed Jaymeet Patel cheaply, reducing Gujarat to 98 for five in 23.1 overs.

At this point, Hingrajia was joined by wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel, and the pair forged a crucial 112-run stand for the sixth wicket off 183 balls, putting the home team on the defensive. Hingrajia, 26, who notched up his second first-class century, played a steady, measured innings, focusing on deft placements and sparing use of big shots during his face-saving partnership with Urvil.

Urvil was the more aggressive of the two, lofting left-arm spinner Anikethreddy and part-time off-spinner Rohit Rayudu for two massive sixes over long-on. It was Thyagarajan who finally broke the partnership, forcing Urvil to sweep straight to deep square-leg.

However, Hyderabad’s hopes of wrapping up the Gujarat tail were dashed when Hingrajia shifted gears, playing some stunning strokes with the lower order. Milind, the pick of the bowlers, was unfortunate when Hingrajia was dropped on 109 by wicketkeeper Rahul Radesh off a mistimed hook, a costly error for Hyderabad.