Vimal and Radhakrishnan Star as TNCA XI Dominate Hyderabad in Buchi Babu 2025

In the coaching manuals, the technique of soft hands is quintessential for batting. TNCA President’s XI openers, Vimal Khumar (54 off 147 balls) and S. Radhakrishnan (73 not out off 199 balls), exemplified this approach to put Hyderabad under pressure on day two of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament final at the CSK-HPC ground in Chennai on Sunday.

The duo put together a 127-run partnership, leading the hosts to 142 for one in response to Hyderabad’s 376, trailing by 234 runs at the close of play.

Following 116 overs of fielding, Khumar and Radhakrishnan adopted a measured strategy from the start, prioritizing the rotation of strike over chasing boundaries. Their partnership emphasized control, with only eight boundaries in 329 balls. The stand ended 20 minutes before the day’s close when Khumar attempted an uncharacteristic aggressive backfoot punch and edged to the keeper off Rohit Rayudu.

Hyderabad welcomed this breakthrough after several missed opportunities in the final session. With a packed off-side field, Ravi Teja nearly had Radhakrishnan caught at cover, though the left-hander narrowly escaped as his mistimed drive fell short. Aniketh Reddy also repeatedly tested Khumar’s outside edge, but the opener’s soft hands ensured nothing carried to the slips.

After laying a strong foundation, Radhakrishnan, along with captain Pradosh Ranjan Paul, remained unbeaten. They faced the task of continuing on a deteriorating pitch with signs of turn and uneven bounce becoming apparent.

Earlier, TNCA’s spinners, led by P. Vidyuth, concluded Hyderabad’s innings in the first session. Overnight batsmen Varun Goud (67 off 126) and Rohit Rayudu managed the initial 45 minutes, but Vidyuth broke through by having Goud caught behind. Subsequently, he trapped Ravi Teja lbw and had Aniketh caught at cover, finishing with figures of four for 104. Nitin Sai Yadav contributed with a quick cameo, hitting a couple of sixes and five boundaries to boost the score before J. Hemchudeshan took two wickets, wrapping up the innings 20 minutes before lunch.

Published on Sep 07, 2025