Ranji Trophy: Chandigarh bowlers keep Hyderabad in control on Day 1
Jagjit Singh and debutant Rajangad Bawa shared five wickets between them to restrict Hyderabad to 270 for 7 at stumps on the opening day of their Elite Group B first round Ranji Trophy match in Cuttack on Thursday. Off-spinner Gaurav Gambhir also chipped in with a couple of wickets, including the all-important scalp of a well set India’s Test star Hanuma Vihari. Coming in at No.3, Vihari top-scored for Hyderabad with a sedate 59 off 134 balls, comprising eight hits to the fence. Ahead of the contest, Chandigarh handed debut caps to the trio of all-rounder Rajangad Bawa, wicketkeeper-batter Arjit Pannu and middle order batter Gaurav Puri. On a track that promised good carry and bounce for the pacers early on, Chandigarh skipper Manan Vohra put Hyderabad in to bat. Vohra’s decision yielded quick results as Rajangad, brought in as the first change bowler, lived up to his skipper’s trust by removing the Hyderabad openers Tanmay Agarwal and Akshath Reddy after the duo got to decent starts. While skipper Agarwal scored 16 off 45 balls, Akshath got 28 off 56 before Raj got into the cleaning act with Arjit’s safe hands behind the stumps taking care of the rest.
