Hyderabad, 9 February (MTNews): The semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2023-2024 Plate Group between Hyderabad and Nagaland started today at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Winning the toss, Hyderabad elected to bat first, and by the end of Day 1, they had posted a formidable total of 373 runs, losing 5 wickets in 90 overs.
The highlight of the day was the outstanding batting display by Hyderabad’s Tanmay Agarwal, who notched up a sublime century, scoring 164 runs, and Tilak Varma’s contribution of 101 runs. Their partnership guided Hyderabad to a comfortable position at the stumps on Day 1.
As Hyderabad aims to build on their total on Day 2, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of Nitesh Reddy and Pragnay Reddy, who will resume batting at 21* runs and 12* runs tomorrow. Nagaland faces an uphill task, especially if these two batsmen continue to capitalize on their strong positions.
Nagaland’s woes were compounded by dropped catches and missed opportunities, allowing the Hyderabad batsmen to capitalize and score big runs. The Nagaland team must regroup and aim to take early wickets on Day 2, hoping to restrict Hyderabad’s total as much as possible. With a mammoth total already on the board, Nagaland needs to bat sensibly to mount a comeback in the game.
Jonathan Rongsen was the most successful bowler for Nagaland on Day 1, claiming 2 crucial wickets while Tahmeed Rahman, Khrievitso Kense, and Imliwati Lemtur claimed 1 wicket each.