Captain Tilak Varma's second consecutive century this season and a consistent bowling effort led Hyderabad to a commanding victory over Sikkim by an innings and 198 runs on the second day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Plate Group League match at NexGen Cricket Academy Ground on January 20. Hyderabad continued their dominance in the Plate Group for the third straight match, concluding the contest in just two days.
The delay in Sikkim's defeat was not due to any notable resistance from their batters but rather because Hyderabad delayed declaring their innings to allow Tilak Varma the opportunity to complete his well-deserved century. He achieved this feat with a straight six off Palzor Tamang. In a more reserved approach this morning, Tilak (103 not out, 111 balls, 8x4, 4x6) and the more aggressive Chandan Sahani (54, 56 balls, 6x4, 2x6) added 88 runs for the fourth wicket, further pushing Sikkim onto the back foot.
As Sikkim commenced their second innings, the focus shifted to whether their batsmen could improve upon their earlier performance. However, their efforts fell short again. Pacer Karthikeya Kak, who excelled with the new ball, quickly made an impact by inducing opener Pankaj Rawat (13) to edge a delivery to wicketkeeper Pragnay Reddy. He then dismissed another key batsman, Ashish Thapa (0), in a similar manner.
Off-spinner Saaketh bowled effectively, claiming two wickets, while left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan also made a significant contribution. He struck twice in the 32nd over, removing the threatening duo of Sumit Singh and Saurav Kumar Prasad.
However, Tanay's bowling soon proved costly. In the session leading up to tea, he was hit for 10 fours and three sixes, making him the most expensive bowler in that spell.
In the last session, it was Milind who disrupted the 57-run partnership between Palzor (32 runs off 65 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Ankur Malik (34 runs off 23 balls, 5x4, 2x6). The fast bowler delivered two vital strikes, guaranteeing that the match was concluded on the second day itself.
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