The Rajasthan cricket team drew its fourth-round match of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season against Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday.
Rajasthan, who are unbeaten in the current Ranji Trophy campaign, secured three points from the Elite Group B contest by virtue of their first-innings lead over Hyderabad.
Mahipal Lomror and Shubham Garhwal scored impressive centuries as Rajasthan amassed 425 in response to Hyderabad’s first-innings total of 410. Kukna Ajay Singh, for the second match running, was Rajasthan’s pick among bowlers with a match haul of 6/223, which included a five-wicket haul in the first innings.
With Hyderabad scoring 273/3, and the lead at 258, both captains agreed for a draw on the final day of the four-day contest.
Asked to bowl, Rajasthan started well to reduce Hyderabad to 137/4 but Hyderabad captain Rahul Singh (66) and Rahul Radesh revived the innings with a 69-run partnership. Radesh (100) received good support from the lower order and completed his maiden first-class hundred guiding Hyderabad to 410.
For Rajasthan, Kukna Ajay Singh picked 5/139 and pacer Deepak Chahar also chipped in with two wickets.
In response, Rajasthan got off to a good start with opener Abhijeet Tomar (60) adding 123 runs for the second wicket with Mahipal Lomror. The left-handed Lomror scored his seventh hundred and also crossed 3000 runs in first-class cricket during his knock.
Lomror hit 12 fours and five sixes to top-score for Rajasthan with 111 but Rajasthan were still 194 runs behind when he was dismissed. However, Shubham Garhwal, who impressed with a century on his first-class debut, and Zubair Ali (57) along with some support from the lower order took Rajasthan past Hyderabad’s total.
Garhwal smashed nine sixes and eight fours in his 107-ball 108 to help the home team reach 425 and claim the honours in the first innings. Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan picked up three wickets for Hyderabad.
Trailing by 15 runs, Hyderabad scored at a steady pace of above four an over to try and force a result but the match ended in a draw.
Rajasthan secured three points for claiming the first-innings lead while Hyderabad had to contend with a solitary point from the encounter. Rajasthan, with three draws and a win, are currently fourth in Elite Group B of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 points table with 13 points after the first four rounds.
Rajasthan will next meet Uttarakhand in their fifth-round match of Elite Group B at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun starting on Wednesday, November 13.
RAJ vs HYD Ranji Trophy brief scores: Hyderabad 410/10 (Rahul Radesh 100, Rahul Singh 66; Kukna Ajay Singh 5/139, Deepak Chahar 2/60) and 273/3 (Kodimela Himateja 101*, Tanmay Agarwal 79; Aniket Choudhary 1/18) drew with Rajasthan 425/10 (Mahipal Lomror 111, Shubham Garhwal 108; Tanay Thyagarajan 3/104, Rohit Rayudu 2/65).
