Chandigarh staring at defeat in Ranji Trophy opener

A lackluster batting effort on Day 3 made things worse for Chandigarh as the UT team lost a couple of wickets for 21 runs in their second innings while chasing a mammoth 401 for an outright win over Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B opener in Cuttack on Saturday.
Chandigarh’s innings folded after the addition of a mere 16 runs to their overnight total of 200/6, with allrounder Rajangad Bawa raging a lone battle with a sedate 44 on debut.Rakshann Readdi, who starred with four wickets on Friday, added another victim to lift his tally to a fifer, while Ravi Teja (3/53) and Tanay Thyagarajan (2/64) combined for the rest of the wickets.
Having ensured a first innings lead of 131 runs, Hyderabad batsmen changed gears in their second essay and banked on India’s Test star Hanuma Vihari’s stroke-filled 106, laced with 15 fours to pile up 269/8, leaving Chandigarh with a mountain to climb on the fourth and final day. Besides Vihari, Tilak Varma also came up with a 76-ball 63, powered by four boundaries and three lusty sixes, after skipper Tanmay Agarwal started the proceedings with a 86-ball 49, comprising seven boundaries and a six.
For Chandigarh, Jagjit Singh Sandhu once again starred with the cherry, returning with four wickets, with great support from off-spinner Gaurav Gambhir, who ended up with another four wickets.
Faced with a daunting task of scoring 401 for a win, Chandigarh lost opener Sarul Kanwar (4) and Gaurav Puri (1) cheaply, leaving the other opener Arslan Khan (12 batting) and night watchman Gaurav Gambhir (4 batting) at the crease when the stumps were drawn for the day. Ravi Teja picked both the wickets.
On Sunday, Chandigarh will expect Arslan and skipper Manan Vohra to punch above their weight and stop Hyderabad from getting an outright win.
Brief Scores
Hyderabad 347 & 269/8 declared (Hanuma Vihari 106, Tilak Varma 63, Tanmay Agarwal 49; Jagjit Singh Sandhu 4/79, Gaurav Gambhir 4/61) vs Chandigarh 216 & 21/2 (Arslan Khan 12 not out; Ravi Teja 2/8)