After two days of bowling dominance, the batters finally had their say at the Guru Nanak College as Hyderabad tightened its grip on the semifinal of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament against Haryana on Tuesday.
At the heart of the effort was Varun Goud, who batted with poise and composure for a measured 91 off 221 balls, stretching Hyderabad’s advantage to 271.
Haryana was rocked early in the chase by Nitin Sai Yadav, who got opener Ashish Siwach and nightwatchman Ishant Bhardwaj out in the third over. While Siwach was trapped in front, Bhardwaj was cleaned up by a ball that remained low. It finished the day at six for two.
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Earlier, Goud arrived at 66 for four on a cloudy, windy morning after the early dismissals of Aman Rao, Rahul Radesh, and skipper Rahul Singh. Alongside Hima Teja, he rebuilt the innings with patience, favouring placement over power as the sun emerged and the surface settled, despite its sluggish pace and occasional low bounce.
Haryana’s frustration grew when it missed a chance to run out Goud, who was stranded halfway down the pitch after a mix-up with Hima. The throw from point was off target and, with the wicketkeeper unable to gather cleanly, the batters stole an extra run on the overthrow.
The 104-run stand, spanning 234 deliveries, was finally broken when Parth Vats found the outside edge of Hima, who departed for a gritty 41. Rohit Rayudu’s stay was brief as he fell leg before, attempting a sweep, leaving the onus once again on Goud.
Ravi Teja (28) injected urgency with a towering six over long-on and a flurry of strokes, while Goud calmly anchored from the other end. But Haryana struck twice in quick succession: Ravi miscued a slog and was caught, before Goud was trapped in front by Vats, agonisingly falling nine runs short of a deserved century.
Haryana wrapped up the tail quickly, with off-spinner Nikhil Kashyap finishing with five for 80.
Published on Sep 02, 2025
