Bhubaneswar: The Ranji match between Orissa and Hyderabad ended in a draw. Orissa got three points along with bonus point in the elite group-A match of the Ranji trophy, which concluded at Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad on Friday. Anirudh Singh hit a brilliant 74 runs to carve out a thrilling draw for Hyderabad after Dhiraj Singh had almost pulled off a sensational win. He grabbed four wickets in the second innings and at stumps of the final day Hyderabad scored 205 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

Chasing an improbable 321 to win, Hyderabad was staring at defeat after being reduced to 191 for nine but Anirudh saw off the last 43 balls along number 11 A Lalith Mohan, settling for 205/9 in the end. Orissa though had the consolation of earning three points including a bonus, due to first innings lead. Earlier, resuming at 159 for four, Orissa declared their second innings at 243 for five, setting a stiff 321-run target for the hosts. Basanth Mohanty and Alok Sahoo of Orissa bagged two wickets each. Left-arm spinner Dhiraj polished off the middle and lower order with a four-wicket burst to bring his team close to a sensational win.