Rohit Rayudu’s brilliant century powered Hyderabad to a commanding position against Chhattisgarh on day two of the Buchi Babu tournament final at the NPR College ground. After displaying his defensive prowess on the opening day, Rayudu showcased his power-hitting abilities on Monday, smashing a magnificent 155 runs off 260 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes. His knock was instrumental in Hyderabad posting a formidable first-innings total of 417 runs.
Continuing their dominance, Hyderabad’s spinners then tightened the screws on the Chhattisgarh batting order. Rohit Rayudu himself opened the bowling attack, claiming the first two wickets with his off-spin. Left-arm spinners Tanay Thyagarajan (3/40) and Aniket Reddy (3/45) then took over, leaving Chhattisgarh struggling at 145/8 at stumps.
Earlier, Rohit Rayudu, who started cautiously, gradually shifted gears into attack mode after Hyderabad lost two early wickets. The 30-year-old unleashed a flurry of boundaries against left-arm spinner Shashank Tiwari, including a swept six, to move into the 90s. He brought up his century in style, sweeping off-spinner Sahban Khan over midwicket for a maximum.
His onslaught continued as he hammered pacer Vasudev Bareth for two consecutive sixes in one over. First, he punched elegantly over the cover boundary and then, two balls later, pulled him over square-leg to reach his 150. He received valuable support from Aniketh Reddy, and the duo forged a crucial 101-run stand (109 balls) for the ninth wicket, effectively taking the game away from Amandeep Khare’s men.
The scores at the end of day two: Hyderabad 417 in 118.4 overs (M. Abhirath Reddy 85, Rohit Rayudu 155, Rahul Radesh 48) vs Chhattisgarh 145/8 in 59 overs.
