Ojha scalps 2 wkts as Hyderabad press for 1st innings lead

Hyderabad: India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha scalped two wickets as Hyderabad pressed for a first innings lead on the second day of their Ranji Trophy group league match against Railways here on Sunday.

Ojha removed Railways openers Shivakant Shukla (24) and Amit Paunikar (41) as the visiting side batted cautiously to end the day on 145 for two in reply to Hyderabad`s 337 all out in the Group A match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal. Railways captain Sanjay Bangar and Nitin Bhille were batting on 43 and 31 respectively at the draw of stumps. Bangar consumed 119 balls for his unbeaten 43 from which he hit six boundaries while Bhille faced 131 deliveries for his unbeaten 31 which he made with the help of three boundaries. Earlier, Hyderabad resumed the day at 247 for six and added 90 runs in 29 overs today before being all out for 337. Overnight batsman Ashish Reddy added 22 more runs this morning before being out for 82 while tailender Akash Bhandari remained not out with a strokeful 56 which he made from 89 balls with the help nine boundaries. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik added two more wickets to his two yesterday to take his innings scalp to four at the expense of 88 runs. Brief Scores: Hyderabad 1st Innings: 337 all out in 122 overs (Ashish Reddy 82, Akash Bhandari 56 not out; Murali Kartik 4/88) Railways 1st Innings: 145 for 2 in 59 overs (Sanjay Bangar batting 43, Nitin Bhille batting 31; Pragyan Ojha 2/17). PTI