Hyderabad look to regain lost ground

Hyderabad: Lying at the bottom of the table with just one point after two games, Hyderabad need to regroup quickly as they face Assam in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match starting at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal here on Tuesday.Both Hyderabad and Assam had contrasting results in the second round matches. Hyderabad suffered a huge 217-run defeat against former champions Mumbai in an away game while Assam, who stand fifth in the eight-team group with four points, snatched three valuable points by gaining crucial first innings lead against another former champions Delhi at home.Despite Delhi opener Dhruv Shorey remaining unbeaten with a match total of 402 runs (252 and 150, unbeaten in two innings), Assam put up a commendable display and took a slender four-run lead thanks to centuries by Rishav Das (160) and Gokul Sharma (140).Speaking ahead of the match, Hyderabad skipper Tanmay Aggarwal said, “We are looking forward to the game against Assam. Assam are no more a pushovers as they managed to take lead against heavyweights like Delhi in their last game. With IPL and the amount of cricket being played across the country, no team can be taken lightly now. The game against Assam will be no different. But we have prepared well. We have our plans ready. It’s important we go out and implement them tomorrow,” said the 27-year-old opener who started with a century in the drawn match against Tamil Nadu in the season opener at home.Speaking about the group, he said, “We are in the toughest group in the tournament. It’s been the case in the last two seasons including Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare tournaments. We have been playing well but results are not going our way,” he added.