Delhi dominate through Badoni’s brilliance; Hyderabad 400/7 at stumps

Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni produced a captain’s spell on Friday, grabbing his career-best 5 for 69, including the crucial wicket of Hyderabad captain Tilak Varma for a duck, to put his team in a commanding position after the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group D opener at the Next-Gen Ground.

After Delhi’s imposing first-innings total of 529/4 declared, Hyderabad ended the day at 400 for 7, still 130 runs short of taking the first-innings lead. Despite a valiant effort from opener Tanmay Agarwal, who struck a fluent 132, and solid partnerships through the middle order, Hyderabad faced an uphill battle going into the final day.

Hyderabad’s early control undone by Badoni’s spin

Resuming with confidence, Hyderabad’s batters showed positive intent throughout the day, scoring 323 runs. The hosts seemed in control at 205 for 1, with Agarwal and Gangam Anikethreddy (87) putting on a commanding 140-run stand for the second wicket. However, once Badoni introduced himself into the attack, the momentum swiftly shifted.

Exploiting the left-hand-heavy Hyderabad line-up, the Delhi captain used drift and variation to perfection. He first lured Anikethreddy out of his crease for a sharp stumping and then removed the dangerous Tilak Varma with a beautifully flighted delivery from around the wicket, trapping him plumb in front.

From there, Badoni’s disciplined spell saw Hyderabad lose wickets at regular intervals. His clever use of angles turning the ball away from the left-handers while occasionally straightening it kept the hosts guessing. He went on to dismiss Kodimela Himateja leg-before just when another partnership was taking shape.

Tanmay Agarwal, who anchored the innings with poise, added key partnerships 57 with Himateja and 65 with wicketkeeper Rahul Radesh (41 not out) to keep Hyderabad in the contest. But once Agarwal fell leg-before to Arpit Rana, Hyderabad’s resistance began to fade.

Rohit Rayudu, cousin of former India international Ambati Rayudu, was dismissed off the final ball of the day by Badoni, giving Delhi a strong edge heading into the final day.

Nabi’s five-for puts J&K in sight of famous win over Mumbai

In another Group D clash in Srinagar, Auqib Nabi starred for Jammu and Kashmir with a fiery 5 for 52 to rattle Mumbai in their second innings and give his side a realistic chance of toppling the domestic giants.

Mumbai, who had taken a 61-run first-innings lead, collapsed for 181 in 56.5 overs, leaving J&K a target of 243 runs for victory. By stumps, the hosts were 21 for 1, needing 222 more on the final day.

Earlier, Mumbai had bowled J&K out for 325, despite a heroic 144 from skipper Paras Dogra. But the star-studded Mumbai line-up failed to deliver in their second essay, with Ajinkya Rahane (0), Sarfaraz Khan (32), and Musheer Khan (8) all falling cheaply. Only Shams Mulani (41) and Akash Anand (31) offered some resistance, adding 50 runs for the sixth wicket.

Brief scores

In Hyderabad: Delhi 529/4 decl. vs Hyderabad 400/7 (Tanmay Agarwal 132, G Anikethreddy 87, Ayush Badoni 5/69).

In Srinagar: Mumbai 386 & 181 (Shams Mulani 41, Auqib Nabi 5/52); J&K 325 (Paras Dogra 144) & 21/1.

In Rajsamand: Chhattisgarh 332 & 64/4 (Manav Suthar 4/25); Rajasthan 386 (Deepak Hooda 130).

In Puducherry: Himachal Pradesh 305 & 91/4 (Sagar Udeshi 3/34); Puducherry 183 (Jayant Yadav 42).

With Badoni’s inspired leadership and Nabi’s brilliance, both Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir hold the upper hand as the third day of Ranji action produced classic subcontinental cricket big runs, turning pitches, and match-defining spells of spin.