TIRUNELVELI: As soon as Hyderabad skipper Akshath Reddy won the toss and elected to bat, Tamil Nadu players knew it was going to be a long day. With the India Cements ground in Sankar Nagar offering very little assistance to bowlers, Akshath made the most of the conditions, scoring his 13th first-class century. The visitors looked in command of their Ranji Trophy Group B Round 2 match, as Hyderabad were 249/3 at the end of first day’s play. Akshath, named captain ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy, was unbeaten on 114, with B Sandeep giving him company on 74.

The 27-year-old started slowly as the hosts picked up a couple of early wickets. He tried to build partnerships but Tamil Nadu bowlers kept a tight line and length, as runs did not come freely. After the dismissal of Himalay Agarwal (29), Sandeep came to the crease and immediately took the attack to the opposition.

Coming into this match on the back of a fighting half-century in their opener against Kerala, Sandeep looked confident. Two boundaries off pacer K Vignesh set the tone for their partnership and freed up his skipper.

An emboldened Akshath started dictating proceedings as the run-rate improved from 2.24 to 2.76 in the last two sessions. Akshath, who has been dismissed in the sixties and seventies in the recent past, did not miss out this time. “It’s a great feeling (to score a century). Being the skipper, I had to lead from the front.Sandeep’s entry really helped as we started scoring freely. The pitch was on the slower side, but it soon opened up. Now, we have to keep at it and not let the momentum slip.”

The score did not reflect the start of the game. Hat-trick hero of Tamil Nadu’s last match, M Mohammed picked up the wicket of opener Tanmay Agarwal (10) in the sixth over. With the hosts handing mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy his debut, Hyderabad tried to go on the offensive. Rohit Rayudu (13) did not last long, as left-arm spinner Rahil Shah picked up his only scalp of the day. The scoreboard read 54/2, and suddenly there was a spring in Tamil Nadu’s steps. Himalay came in and along with Akshath stitched together a half-century partnership to steady Hyderabad. The fit-again Vignesh, playing after recovering from a Grade 1 tear in his left thigh, accounted for Himalay. But Tamil Nadu’s hopes were snuffed out by Akshath and Sandeep.

“Despite the track not offering any help, we started well, bowling to our plan. I think in the third session I was guilty of letting Sandeep settle. Then runs came freely. We are still in the game. We were in a similar situation against Madhya Pradesh. The first session tomorrow will be crucial,” remarked Vignesh.
ayantan@newindianexpress.com