Prabhsimran dominates first session, Arora and Ramandeep frustrate Hyderabad

Hyderabad: IPL star Prabhsimran Singh struck a belligerent half-century (81, 126b, 9×4, 1×6), dominating the first session, while fighting half-centuries by Salil Arora (57 batting, 143b, 2×4) and Ramandeep Singh (52, 79b, 6×4) in the final session helped Punjab reach 289 for six against Hyderabad on the opening day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Gymkhana Ground here on Monday.

Electing to bat, Punjab lost opener Vihaan Malhotra (12) in the sixth over to pacer Rakshann Readdi. Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan then struck, inducing Harnoor Singh (17) to play a poor sweep shot. Harnoor was caught by the wicketkeeper to make it 62 for two in 22.1 overs.

Captain Uday Sharan (16) looked good before gifting his wicket away while attempting an ambitious lofted shot off the other left-arm spinner, G Anikethreddy. He was caught at deep cover, leaving Punjab at 105 for three in 31.5 overs.

Prabhsimran displayed a wide range of strokes during his brilliant knock, pulling Rakshann, cover-driving and pulling Tanay, and swinging Anikethreddy over midwicket for a six.

Just when he looked set for a century, Prabhsimran was bowled by Rakshann, beaten by the pace, in the 45th over, with Punjab at 139 for four.

When Jashanpreet Singh (45, 84b, 5×4) was run out while attempting a risky run, with Punjab at 182 for five in 57.5 overs, it appeared that Hyderabad had fought their way back into the game.

However, Salil Arora, who was dropped by Tanmay Agarwal at slip off Tanay early in his innings, and Ramandeep Singh put on a potentially decisive 93-run stand for the sixth wicket, displaying discipline and cutting down on risks.

The home team finally found some relief when captain and left-arm pacer Chama Milind had the well-set Ramandeep play the ball onto his stumps in the final minutes of the day.

However, Punjab’s batting showed greater intensity when it mattered most, particularly under pressure.

Scores: First day: Punjab 289/6 in 90 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 81, Jashanpreet Singh 45, Salil Arora 57 batting, Ramandeep Singh 52; Rakshann Readdi 2/53) vs Hyderabad.