Hyderabad send Himachal crashing to 36 all out

Fifteen wickets fell on day two at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, where Hyderabad bowled Himachal Pradesh out for 36, the fourth-lowest total in the Ranji Trophy since 2000. None of Himachal's batsmen got into double figures as seamers M Ravi Kiran and Chama Milind cut through the top order before legspinner Akash Bhandari snared four wickets to demolish the tail. Himachal, on 8 for 2 overnight, were bowled out in 25 overs.

Hyderabad got into the lead with only a wicket down, thanks to a 38-run second-wicket partnership between Akshath Reddy and B Anirudh, but Rishi Dhawan ensured they didn't run away with the game. The allrounder grabbed six wickets as Hyderabad ended the day seven down for 99, only 63 ahead. Anirudh was still at the crease at stumps, on 44 off 111 balls, having hit seven fours.

Players from both sides agreed that the pitch was difficult to bat on, but suggested the low totals were also down to a lack of application from the batsmen.

"This is one of the most-challenging surfaces I've played on this season," said Robin Bist, the Himachal middle-order batsman who was lbw to Ravi Kiran for a duck. "Yes, it was tough, but we've played on tougher surfaces in the past, so in that sense this was nowhere near being dangerous.

"There was inconsistent bounce. One ball would take off, others would keep low. I think most of the batsmen, including myself, were influenced by that. Maybe that's why we had as many as nine dismissals [across both innings] either bowled or lbw. There was definite help for the bowlers; all they needed to do was to be accurate."

Paras Dogra, Himachal's No. 4, called it a "clear case of batsmen from both sides lacking application".

"Run scoring was difficult, but not to the extent scorecard suggests," he said. "One of their batsmen [Anirudh] showed what patience and application can give you on this wicket. Lot of the shots were cross-batted, which increases the chance of lbw on any surface. One thing is for sure, this is certainly a result-oriented game. It's the kind of wicket where you can't switch off. I think the scorecard is just an exaggeration."

Hyderabad captain S Badrinath was out for a two-ball duck, bowled by Dhawan. He agreed with Dogra's assessment of the conditions.

"You just can't blame the pitch, saying it was a poor wicket," he said. "[The fall of wickets] was down to a combination of both the pitch being difficult and poor technique from the batsmen. The wicket wasn't the easiest to bat [on], but there were some poor decisions and choice of shots. It was one wicket where you had to apply yourself. You don't have to be extremely skilled on this wicket; just have to be patient and play straight.

"Unfortunately, no batsman from our side apart from Anirudh applied. He played 111 balls, it's not about the [44] runs. He showed if you can apply you can definitely bat. Anirudh looked to play straight and he got all his runs when he played straight. He was willing to be patient, and let the ball go. His choice of shots were good. He didn't go for the big, booming cover drive, and didn't play outside the line."