HYDERABAD : It proved to be a tough Tuesday for Delhi’s bowlers. They charged in on Day 1 of their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy clash against Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, but could not do enough to end the day on a bright note. The hosts began positively by notching up 232/3 on a track that seemed to “have nothing”, in Delhi skipper Nitish Rana’s words. Despite getting two early wickets the visitors were rendered clueless as their opponents slowly built a solid foundation.
Rana criticised BCCI for producing a “very flat” pitch. On the eve of this match, a few Hyderabad players had also voiced their opinions about “flat tracks” they’d received in the first two rounds. BCCI had done away with neutral venues last season, going back to the home-and-away system. Neutral curators have been lending their services at all venues. On the other hand, Tanmay Agarwal — who registered a patient ton off 209 deliveries — termed the pitch as conducive for pacers.
“The ball was reversing more than expected.” “There is nothing in the wicket. BCCI told us that they will provide us result-oriented pitches, but I do not think this is anything like it,” Rana told Express at the end of day’s play. “This match will lead to a draw. I am 100 per cent sure about that. We just want the first-innings lead. That is the only thing we can get from here.
BCCI should not have given us such a wicket.” Till now, only one match has yielded an outright result in Group B. Electing to bat first, Hyderabad did not seem to be troubled at all. Left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra provided early inroads by dismissing inform skipper P Akshath Reddy (15) and K Rohit Rayudu (10). However, this minor glitch was followed by a consolidation effort from Tanmay Agarwal (112 n.o) and Himalay Agarwal (66). The duo added 136 in 330 deliveries for the third wicket.
In the process, the latter hit his maiden first-class half-century before being scalped by debutant pacer Gaurav Kumar. Missing the services of Ishant Sharma, Delhi used seven different bowlers on the day. Regular skipper Gautam Gambhir’s non-availability compounded their misery. With senior players missing, the visitors chose to hand out debuts to three: Gaurav, Simarjit Singh and Sarthak Ranjan.
“If players like Gautam (Gambhir) bhaiya and Ishant (Sharma) bhaiya are not there, we have to pick young players. Our team is one of the youngest,” remarked Rana. “Vikas is the most experienced with 34 matches. Our bunch is talented. We are looking to new players to build the team.” Hyderabad 232/3 (T Agarwal 112