Slept on floor of the bus: Hyderabad’s Abhirath Reddy details arduous journey before Ranji heroics

While Hyderabad’s victory against Himachal Pradesh takes it to the top of the table in Ranji Trophy Elite Group D, the win was sweeter due to the trials and tribulations the team had to endure on its way to Nadaun.

Runway repairs at the Chandigarh airport meant the entire unit, after the match in Pondicherry, saw its journey divided into three legs over 22 hours.

“It was a long and tiring journey. Pondicherry was humid, where we fielded in the end. We were very exhausted,” Hyderabad head coach D.B. Ravi Teja told Sportstar.

Their troubles did not end there.

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“We couldn’t have a proper training session once we reached because our kit bags didn’t arrive. They generally come by cargo, which got delayed. So we just went to the ground, saw how the wicket was, assessed the conditions, and tried to get used to the environment. We had a small recovery session with the trainer. That’s it. Then we played a small game and went back,” he disclosed.

Despite the challenges, Hyderabad remained focused and, powered by Abhirath Reddy’s unbeaten 175 (200 b, 19×4, 3×6), defeated Himachal Pradesh by four wickets.

“We travelled by a semi-sleeper bus and reached Nadaun at 5 o’clock in the morning. I slept on the floor in between the seats en route as I thought it’d be more comfortable, while most slept on the seat itself,” Abhirath recalled, before addressing his knock.

“When we started the final day, we thought that the wicket would aid swing only in the first session and that we could dominate their spinners later. We played for the win, as we will in any match this season.”

He also credited the role played by Rahul Radesh – the pair’s 145-run stand laying the foundations for victory.

“He has a stable style. He is a proper Test batter who can hold one end up. If you are with him, you can play your normal attacking game. Overall, we were in good spirits. We have been so through the off-season too. Since the squad has remained pretty stable across seasons, we want to make the most of it this time.”

That consistency in squad selection is something Hyderabad has seen only in the last couple of years, and Ravi Teja is happy with the development.

“It’s good that the selectors have been sticking to the same core. If you don’t give players enough opportunities and keep changing the team every two or three games, that will hamper everything. We don’t know how quickly a new player will adapt to the game plans and stuff,” he said.

“I feel confident now. There is security, I know that the selectors will back me even if I stumble once,” Abhirath added.

The match-winning knock was also a moment of redemption for Abhirath. He tore his hamstring in the opening match of Hyderabad’s victorious Buchi Babu campaign earlier this year, managing to recover in time for the Ranji campaign.

“I had to do full aggressive rehab, which was a battle. One day, I felt I would recover before the first [Ranji] match; another day, I wasn’t sure. But it all feels worth it now,” he admitted.

It wasn’t the only thing on Abhirath’s mind heading into the final day, having dropped a simple catch on day three, which ended up proving costly.

“I dropped a schoolboy catch when Akash Vasisht was in single digits, and he hit a century. It wasn’t easy to move on from that. But I thought of Mohammed Siraj dropping Harry Brook’s catch and later sealing the win the next day. I thought I could also do the same for the team, if I got a chance.”

Staying in the present

Despite sitting at the top of the table, Ravi Teja did not shy away from addressing the team’s weaknesses – its pace battery,

“This batting unit is the best in India. The spin department has also been doing really well this season. Our only concern is about the pacers contributing a little bit more. It’s not that they don’t have a skill or anything, but they lack experience. Sometimes, they try too much to get wickets. They need to be a little disciplined in their bowling, pick the right channels and stick to their strengths,” he said.

“That’s what we have tried in this game. You can see the difference between the first and second innings. We need to stick to our limitations; they will be the key for them this season. In a very short span of time, we can’t change much. So the best thing to do is to stick to our strengths and bowl in a disciplined manner.”

That said, the 38-year-old is banking on Hyderabad’s biggest ace – the players’ belief in crossing any and every hurdle – ahead of tough fixtures, including a home fixture against 42-time champion Mumbai later in the season.

“This side’s strength is its unity. My favourite memory so far is the way we responded against Delhi, when they declared at 520-odd. There was no talk about not chasing it. Everyone was eager to get the job done and it showed me the kind of mindset my players have,” he said.

“In such games, players can be negative, get defensive, and think about drawing the game. But that wasn’t the case here. Not a single player was thinking about a draw. They wanted to do something special.”

Next up for Hyderabad is a clash at home with Rajasthan, starting November 8. Thankfully, a much more comfortable journey awaits them this time around.

“Tomorrow, we have a long journey again, but it won’t be so bad, we’re flying out. We are going from here to Dharamsala, then to Delhi, and from there to Hyderabad.”

Published on Nov 04, 2025