Hyderabad collapse for 166 as Anirudh falls short

Railways 103 for 4 (Ojha 4-29) trail Hyderabad 166 (Anirudh 92, Harvinder 4-28) by 63 runs
Scorecard

Anirudh Singh produced a fighting 92 but the rest of the Hyderabad batsmen capitulated around him on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals in Delhi. Hyderabad might have gone on to rue thier decision to bat first as Harvinder Singh, the former Indian seamer, struck four crucial blows and spearheaded the Railways' effort. He was well supported by Jai Prakash Yadav, who continued his fine bowling season with 3 for 55, while Murali Kartik chipped in with two wickets.

Anirudh's patient innings spanned more than three and a half hours but he had his aggressive moments with 13 fours and two sixes. Only two other batsmen managed double figures and Anirudh couldn't manage to string together vital partnerships.

Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, made a fantastic debut and led the Hyderabad fightback with 4 for 29 in the final session. He removed all the four Railways batsmen to fall,including Amit Pagnis who raced along to 42 at a rapid pace. Yadav was at the crease when stumps were drawn having made 23 off 29 balls. However, Railways, with their potent seam attack, still held the edge in what was turning out to be a low-scoring thriller.