Chasing Gujarat’s 566, Hyderabad stuttered to a stop at 375, thus conceding the first innings lead and three points on the closing day of its Ranji Trophy group A match at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Tuesday.
Asked to bat again, the visitor faced grim prospects, losing two second innings wickets early, but held out till the game was called off before the mandatory overs could begin.
The concluding day’s first hour produced little for Gujarat but it was the host that took a grip on the contest. B. Sandeep looked set for an encore of his century against Mumbai, with a string of sweetly-timed cover drives, mostly off the front foot, gliding to the ropes.
The strike was mostly his as S.A. Quadri, keeping him company from the evening before, backed him up. Sandeep’s dabbing at deliveries in the ‘corridor’ would prove to be his undoing though.
Sandeep misses ton
Ten runs short of triple figures, Sandeep fidgeted with one leaving him off Kalaria and paid the price, pouched by first slip Rujul Bhatt.
Quadri, seemingly affected somewhat by the separation, departed soon after, victim to Kalaria and caught behind, two runs short of 50.
Where efforts of his forerunners seemed laboured, Ashish Reddy ploughed into the Gujarat attack early, lofting Rakesh Dhruv over the long off ropes when hardly an over or two old.
His effortless stroke-making would have left those before him ruing the opportunities they had squandered.
Sandeep Rajan while fending off Kalaria’s delivery that kicked up from a good length, sustained a finger injury that required stitches.
Ashish, attempting a reverse hit off Dhruv popped up a simple catch to slip Rujul bringing the curtains down on the Hyderabad innings and the ignominy of a follow-on.
The scores:
Gujarat — 1st innings: 566.
Hyderabad — 1st innings: K. Sumanth c Parthiv b Dhruv 18, Akshath Reddy c Gohel b Kalaria 79, M.A. Khader c Parthiv b Bhavesh 17, G.H. Vihari c Smit b Krushang 79, B. Sandeep c Rujul b Kalaria 90, S.A. Quadri c Parthiv b Kalaria 48, Abhinav c Parthiv b Dhruv 4, Sandeep Rajan (retd. hurt) 12, Ashish Reddy c Rujul b Dhruv 23, Lalith Mohan (run out) 0, Anwar Ahmed (not out) 0, Extras (nb-3, w-2): 5; Total (for nine wkts. in 145 overs): 375.
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-81, 3-141, 4-240, 5-336, 6-337, 7-347, 8-374, 9-375.
Gujarat bowling: R. Kalaria 35-15-41-3, Krushang 22-4-62-1, Bhavesh 24-5-64-1, Rakesh Dhruv 47.1-12-127-3, Krunal 13-0-66-0, Rujul Bhatt 3-2-9-0, Manprit Juneja 1-0-6-0.
Hyderabad — 2nd innings: K. Sumanth c Juneja b Kalaria 6, Akshath Reddy (not out) 53, G.H. Vihari b Kalaria 8, B. Sandeep (not out) 56, Extras (nb-1): 1; Total (for two wkts. in 31 overs): 124.
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-23.
Gujarat bowling: Krushang 4-1-11-0, Kalaria 6-3-13-2, Bhavesh 3-2-3-0, Dhruv 2-0-21-0, Krunal 5-0-26-0, Rujul 7-1-30-0, Gohel 2-0-5-0, Parthiv 2-0-15-0.
