By Admin 
Hyderabad will look to solidify its place at the top of Group D when it takes on Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here from Saturday.
The side comes into the contest following a hard-fought four-wicket win against Himachal Pradesh in Nadaun, which was powered by Abhirath Reddy’s maiden Ranji century.
After two away matches, Hyderabad is looking forward to playing on home turf.
Rajasthan, meanwhile, heads into this contest with a mixed bag of results so far. After a confident start courtesy a nine-wicket win against Chhattisgarh, the team crumbled to an innings and 41-run defeat at the hands of Jammu & Kashmir.
Most recently, it had to settle for a draw against Mumbai despite Deepak Hooda’s double century and Kartik Sharma’s ton fueling hopes of a maiden win against the 42-time champion.
With a flat track awaiting two teams with strong batting units, Hyderabad head coach Ravi Teja believes bowlers hold the key.
“The wicket, which we know very well, looks good for batting. If you can make use of the new ball initially, that will help a lot,” the coach told The Hindu, adding that the team that wins the toss will have the upper hand.
Kukna Ajay Singh and Ashok Sharma put the squeeze on Mumbai and will hope that good form endures.
Hyderabad, on the other hand, will pin its hopes on spinner Tanay Thyagarajan, who has picked 11 wickets in two matches since his return from injury. With all players available for selection, it remains to be seen if Anikethreddy, the side’s second-highest wicket-taker (29) last season, behind only Tanay (35), finds a spot in the starting XI.