All the promise and oscillating momentum over the first three days of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D fixture between Hyderabad and Rajasthan anticlimactically led to a drab draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Hyderabad stumbled in its quest to build on the 293-run lead early on Tuesday. Tanay Thyagarajan was the first to fall, skipper Mahipal Lomror sending his leg stump flying.
Rohit Rayudu was dawdling towards a half-century when a miscued shot sailed into Salman Khan’s hands at fine leg. With 46 runs added to its overnight score in 16 overs, the home side declared, setting Rajasthan a 340-run target.
The visitor began positively with Sachin Yadav and Salman intent on going for the jugular, finding boundaries at will. They went into lunch with a bounce in their stride, after 69 runs were chipped off the target in 15 overs.
However, the game turned on its head thereafter. Batters slipped into defensive mode as Hyderabad’s bowlers managed to extract swing and turn from a previously stubborn surface.
Sachin’s dismissal helped Hyderabad place a chokehold on the run flow, with just 37 runs added in the 15 overs after lunch. Salman and Mahipal were happy to rotate strike and stay in the contest rather than trying something rash. their resistance broke Hyderabad’s dying hopes of pulling off a favourable result.
Mahipal later revealed that the team was more focused on helping Salman get to a deserved century. But that was not to be, as the opener fell after tea, short of the mark by 21 runs.
Rajasthan needed 133 runs from 15 overs with seven wickets in hand and little over an hour of play left. With the contest crawling towards a draw, both teams were more than happy to shake hands, giving Hyderabad the three points for a first-innings lead, and its opponent just one.
The score:
Hyderabad – 1st innings: 364.
Rajasthan — 1st innings: 269.
Hyderabad – 2nd innings: Tanmay Agarwal c Kunal b Ajay 12, Abhirath Reddy c Kunal b Ashok 14, Rahul Singh Gahlaut run out 59, K. Himateja b Ashok 41, Varun Goud c Kunal b Akash 29, Rahul Radesh b Lomror 7, Rohit Rayudu c Salman b Lomror 42, C.V. Milind lbw b Lomror 10, Tanay Thyagarajan b Lomror 4, Aniketh Reddy (not out) 21, B. Punnaiah (not out) 0; Extras (nb-2, lb-3): 5; Total (for nine wkts. decl. in 78 overs): 244.
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-54, 3-98, 4-159, 5-159, 6-170, 7-194, 8-206, 9-237.
Rajasthan bowling: Aniket 13-3-38-0, Akash 12-2-30-1, Ajay 24-1-69-1, Lomror 20-4-51-4, Ashok 6-0-33-2, Rahul 3-0-20-0.
Rajasthan — 2nd innings: Sachin Yadav c Radesh b Tanay 44, Salman Khan lbw b Tanay 79, Mahipal Lomror c (sub) Nitish b Aniketh 40, Kunal Singh Rathore (not out) 14, Deepak Hooda (not out) 18; Extras (b-9, lb-3): 12; Total (for three wkts. in 57 overs): 207.
Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-173, 3-175.
Hyderabad bowling: Punnaiah 5-0-20-0, Milind 2-0-12-0, Tanay 23-2-72-2, Aniketh 20-2-67-1, Rayudu 7-0-24-0.
Published on Nov 11, 2025