Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Hyderabad’s Abhirath happy to have made it count after a barren streak
Abhirath Reddy chose patience over flamboyance against Chhattisgarh, happy to step back and play anchor as his Hyderabad teammates took the attack to the visitor.
“Aman (Rao) is a free-flowing player and makes the opponent go on the defensive. Instead of both of us batting hard, he did the hitting. After that, Rahul Singh came and was also on the attack. That’s his general game,” he told Sportstar at the end of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy clash.
The 29-year-old also explained his contrasting approach against pace and spin, scoring at nearly a run-a-ball against the former while showing greater restraint against the latter.
“The pitch is good for batting, but it also spins a little; there is a slow turn. But there is no movement for pacers.”
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While satisfied with his two centuries this season, Abhirath admitted there was a tinge of disappointment.
“In the last 3-4 innings, I got out before I could settle and could not make an impact. And those were important games which could have helped us qualify for the knockouts. So, I desperately wanted to do well this match,” he said.
“I was happy with the century today, because even though the wicket is flat, First-Class hundreds don’t come easy. Last year and this year, I wanted to hit a big score when I settled in. I think I did well both times (against Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh), but I couldn’t in the others. I want to work on that going forward.”
Published on Jan 30, 2026
