Madhya Pradesh get the better of Hyderabad

Kanwaljeet Singh (5 for 100) and Mohammad Ghouse (5 for 97) took all the ten wickets between themselves but failed to revive the hopes of Hyderabad, last year's runners-up, in their Ranji Trophy pre quarter-final match against Madhya Pradesh at the Daly College Ground in Indore on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh entered the quarterfinals by virtue of their 107-run first innings lead. Madhya Pradesh will now meet Orissa in the quarterfinals.

Resuming at 116 for 1, MP went on to make 291 runs, setting an improbable victory target of 399 with only a few overs left for Hyderabad. The top order - HS Sodhi (36), NV Ojha (40), Amay Khurasiya (35) and Devendra Bundela (11) - all fell to Ghouse. Then Kanwaljeet took over and sent the middle order packing. But Jai P Yadav (48) and Chandrakant Pandit (69 not out) forged a 76-run seventh wicket partnership. The lower order caved in without resistance to the guiles of the veteran off spinner. But by the time the innings folded up, the result was well and truly decided.

Hyderabad in the remaining eight overs scored 50 runs while losing both openers Daniel Manohar (25) and Vanka Pratap (4). Anirudh Singh (16) and D Vinay Kumar (1) were unbeaten at the end.