Hyderabad pins its hopes on the return of spinner Thyagarajan

After conceding a mammoth 529 for four and toiling in the field for 151 overs in the first innings against Delhi in its Ranji Trophy Group-D opener at home, Hyderabad will be buoyed by the return of prolific left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan from injury as it locks horns with Pondicherry at the CAP Siechem Ground here from Saturday.

Thyagarajan will also relish the spin-friendly conditions that saw the tweakers pick up all the 24 wickets that fell during the home team’s last match here against Himachal Pradesh. The 29-year-old and fellow left-arm spinner G. Anikethreddy were Hyderabad’s top wicket-takers in the Ranji Trophy last season, with 35 and 29 scalps, respectively, and the duo could be a menace for Pondicherry’s wobbly batting line-up. The persistently overcast and gloomy conditions will also keep Hyderabad’s left-arm seamer Chama Milind and the tall 6’9’’ pacer Saranu Nishanth interested.

Tanmay Agarwal, last season’s third-highest run-scorer (934 runs), cracked a ton against Delhi, and Hyderabad will pin its hopes on the left-hander’s scorching form. Tanmay’s opening partner and fellow left-hander, Rahul Singh, will lead the side in the absence of Tilak Varma, who has flown to Australia for India duty.

For the host, Sagar Udeshi’s role as captain, coach and mentor will be crucial. Despite donning multiple hats this season, the 39-year-old spinner hasn’t been saddled by added responsibility: he picked up a 10-wicket match-haul against Himachal, though his team conceded the first-innings lead.

For company, Udeshi will have India Test cricketer Jayant Yadav, who joined Pondicherry as a guest player after serving Haryana for over a decade. However, the duo’s experience will face a stern test against Hyderabad, which thrashed Pondicherry by an innings and 50 runs last year.

The visiting side will eye a similar early-season lift-off after ceding the lead to Delhi in a high-scoring campaign opener.