TIRUNELVELI : When Tamil Nadu finally got the chance to bat on Day 3 of their Group B Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad at India Cements ground in Sankar Nagar on Wednesday, they had a mountain to climb.Hyderabad had declared their innings at a massive 565/8. To make matters worse, the ball was keeping low. Former skipper Abhinav Mukund strode out to the middle accompanied by Kaushik Gandhi, looking to get a move-along. However, new-ball bowlers Ravi Kiran and Chama Milind bowled a tight line, as run scoring proved to be difficult throughout the day.
With his partner struggling to find any sort of timing, Abhinav did not get bogged down. He was always on the lookout for runs, punishing loose balls. The opening duo put on 80 to set the platform for the hosts. The southpaw was the dominant partner as he reached his 50 in 116 deliveries.
Gandhi did not survive for long, with his off-stump being rattled by Milind for 21. No 3 batsman B Aparajith (4) was superbly caught by Milind off his own bowling, leaving Tamil Nadu in a spot of bother. But Abhinav then stuck it out in the middle and showed why he is such an important batsman for the Hrishikesh Kanitkar-coached side.
Hyderabad brought in their spinners, hoping for the pitch to finally give some assistance to slower bowlers. Though their spinners did not enjoy much luck, their pacers were getting the ball to reverse. Abhinav was not to be denied as he fought his way to his 27th first-class century, punching the air in delight after reaching the milestone.
“It was difficult out there. The ball was keeping low and all our hits found the fielders. I was suffering from cramps especially after two long and tiring days out in the field. But I relish playing in such tough conditions. You have to be patient and keep fighting and I managed that today,” Abhinav said.
The innings meant a lot to the 28-year-old, especially after going through a difficult last domestic season. He rediscovered his mojo and is carrying on from where he left off in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. “I’m enjoying my batting again. It might be a different format but I’m in a good place mentally and physically. I hope to carry this forward.”
Abhinav, who has so far hit 15 fours, and captain B Indrajith (24 n.o) added 69 runs and saw the team through to close of play without any further slip-ups with the score at 163/2. The hosts are still a mammoth 402 runs behind and any chances of taking the first-innings lead and along with it 3 points look remote.
Earlier, Hyderabad skipper Akshath Reddy could add only two more runs to his overnight score of 248 before M Mohammed got him back in the hut. Milind (33 n.o) and Mehdi Hasan (14 n.o) put on 27 runs for the ninth wicket before declaring.
ayantan@newindianexpress.com
Brief scores
Elite Group A
In Nagpur: Vidarbha 307 & 72/2 vs Karnataka 378 (D Nischal 113, BR Sharath 103; Aditya Sarwate 5/91).
In T’puram: Andhra 254 & 102/8 (Jalaj Saxena 7/44) vs Kerala 328 (Jalaj Saxena 133).
Elite Group B
In Tirunelveli: Hyderabad 565/8 decl (Akshath Reddy 250) vs Tamil Nadu 163/2 (Abhinav Mukund 101 n.o).
Elite Group C
In Bhubaneswar: Odisha 256 & 180/7 vs Uttar Pradesh 437 (Akshdeep Nath 159; Basant Mohanty 6/62).
Plate Group
In Puducherry: Puducherry 389 & 95/4 (Gurinder Singh 4/29) vs Meghalaya 326 (Yogesh Nagar 141 n.o).