Hyderabad back among Elite teams
Riding on a spirited century from Arjun Yadav 128 (16x4, 2x6) and some scintillating batting from man-of-the-match Syed Quadri 99 (10x4, 1x6), Hyderabad pipped Vidarbha by virtue of a better run-rate to qualify for the knock-out stage of Ranji Trophy as well as confirming a place in the Elite Group for next season.
Riding on a spirited century from Arjun Yadav 128 (16x4, 2x6) and some scintillating batting from man-of-the-match Syed Quadri 99 (10x4, 1x6), Hyderabad pipped Vidarbha by virtue of a better run-rate to qualify for the knock-out stage of Ranji Trophy as well as confirming a place in the Elite Group for next season.
Resuming at the overnight score of 216/3, former India A player Arjun Yadav completed his century soon and held the innings together. Meanwhile, B Sandeep who was looking good, was snapped up by the wicketkeeper off medium pacer Amol Jungade’s bowling. The Sandeep-Yadav pair added 167 for the fourth wicket.
At lunch, Hyderabad were 316/5 and in the hunt. The post-lunch session saw Syed Quadri and Ibrahim Khaleel stage a remarkable fightback with a brilliant partnership that took them to 397/5 at tea.
Quadri, in particular played some wonderful shots on either side of the wicket and shared with Khaleel a vital 130-run stand for the sixth wicket. With the match heading towards a draw, the focus shifted toward net rate.
Brief scores: Plate semifinals: In Nagpur: Vidarbha: 531 all out drew Hyderabad: 486/8 in 166 overs (Ravi Teja 39, Arjun Yadav 128, Bavanka Sandeep 79, Syed Quadri 99, Ibrahim Khaleel 49, Pagadala Naidu 29 n.o.; Amol Jungade 2-91, Akshay Wakhare 2-126).
In Pune: Maharashtra: 415 and 283/5 in 88 overs ( Harshad Khadiwale 139, Chirag Khurana 79, Ankit Bawne 26 n.o.; Gurvinder Singh 4-111) drew Himachal Pradesh: 236 all out.
