Ranji Trophy 2026/27: Hyderabad fights back against Andhra with Thyagarajan five-for on Day 2

Hyderabad's Tanay Thyagarajan (left) picked a five-for to help his side take a 91-run first-innings lead against Andhra on the second day of the Ranji Trophy match at the ACA Stadium in Mulapadu. | Photo Credit: K V S Giri

If Andhra seized the initiative on day one, Hyderabad needed little time to wrest it back in their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash at the ACA Stadium in Mulapadu on Monday.

Mohammed Siraj set the tone early, a pinpoint yorker sending Abhishek Reddy’s off stump cartwheeling with the first ball of the day. He extracted both swing and bounce, and on more than one occasion came within a whisker of another breakthrough.

When the seamers could make no further inroads, the ball went to Tanay Thyagarajan, and the spinner struck with his very first delivery. Hemanth Reddy danced down the track to smother the turn, only to miss, and wicketkeeper Pragnay Reddy whipped off the bails.

Ricky Bhui and Shaik Rasheed then began to stitch Andhra’s innings back together, until Thyagarajan ran out the former to end a promising 59-run stand. Rasheed dug in, his 92-ball fifty keeping Andhra steady going into lunch.

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“More than my five-wicket haul, the run out was more important. That partnership looked threatening and Andhra would’ve done much better if they could build on it,” Thyagarajan later told Sportstar.

If the home side had grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second session on Sunday, it was Hyderabad’s turn to do the same on day two, with Thyagarajan once again at the heart of it, as he had been against Tripura in the previous round.

Rasheed was trapped leg before by the left-armer, and with him went Andhra’s resistance. S.V. Rahul and Revanth Reddy, who had both shone with the bat against Karnataka, fell leg before to Aniketh Reddy and Thyagarajan, respectively, leaving Andhra reeling at 148 for six. Andhra eventually capitulated for 184, with Thyagarajan snapping up two more wickets.

In a role reversal from the first innings, Tanmay Agarwal played the aggressor as Abhirath Reddy happily settled in as anchor, with Hyderabad briskly building on a 91-run lead.

Tanmay got a slice of luck when the on-field umpire adjudged him leg before off K. Sai Teja, only for the third umpire to step in and rule it a no-ball. But the medium pacer would not be denied later, removing both Abhirath and Rahul Singh as Hyderabad closed the day on 78 for two.

Scores

Hyderabad 1st innings: 275.

Andhra 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy st Pragnay b Thyagarajan 10, Abhishek Reddy b Siraj 5, Shaik Rasheed lbw b Thyagarajan 61, Ricky Bhui run out 28, S.V. Rahul lbw b Aniketh 27, Revanth Reddy b Thyagarajan 12, K.V. Sasikanth lbw b Thyagarajan 14, Saurabh Kumar b Thyagarajan 1, T. Vijay (batting) 25, Lalith Mohan b Aniket 0, K. Sai Teja run out 0; Extras (nb-1): 1; Total (in 63 overs): 184.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-32, 3-91, 4-112, 5-128, 6-148, 7-149, 8-164, 9-165.

Hyderabad bowling: Thyagarajan 20-4-63-5, Aniketh 18-1-60-2, Siraj 11-2-31-1, Milind 7-1-13-0, Ruthik 7-0-17-0.

Hyderabad 2nd innings: Tanmay Agarwal (batting) 49, Abhirath Reddy lbw b Sai Teja 23, Rahul Singh lbw b Sai Teja 2; Extras (lb-3 nb-1): 4; Total (for two wkts. in 23 overs): 78.

Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-78.

Andhra bowling: Saurabh 9-1-24-0, Vijay 8-0-36-0, Lalith 3-0-11-0, Sai Teja 3-1-4-2.