Bhubaneswar: Left-hander Balchander Anirudh struck a sublime 120 not out, his maiden first-class hundred, to lead Hyderabad’s rescue act and force a draw against Kerala in their Ranji Trophy Group ‘C’ cricket match at the KIIT Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Anirudh hit two sixes and 14 fours in his fluent knock from 192 balls as Hyderabad replied strongly with 220 for 3 in their second innings after they were forced to follow-on.
Following-on, Hyderabad lost both their openers for 67 but Anirudh stayed on and denied Kerala an innings victory.
Andhra turnaround to register fine victory
In Mumbai, Andhra turned the tables on Jammu and Kashmir in dramatic fashion after conceding the first innings lead, as they romped to an exciting four-wicket victory with 15 balls to spare.
Andhra, trailing J&K by 79 runs in the first innings, shot out their rivals for a meagre 111 on the fourth and final day of the game and then reached the target for the loss of six wickets in 49.3 overs.
Andhra had to make 191 in 52 overs and they completed the chase when Siva Kumar struck off-spinner Parvez Rasool for a boundary.
Andhra were 82 for 3 at tea, needing 109 runs for victory, and were pushed back by a two-wicket burst by medium pacer Ram Dayal to leave them at 149 for 5.
