A sparkling unbeaten 87 by Vinay Kumar and his unfinished 100-run partnership with Kaleel Ibrahim (44) for the fifth wicket enabled hosts Hyderabad to post 237 for 4 against Tamil Nadu on the opening day of the four-day Ranji Trophy match at the Gymkhana grounds in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Stylish middle-order batsman Vinay Kumar scripted a 78-run partnership for the second wicket with opener D Manohar and was involved in an unfinished fifth wicket stand of 100 runs with Kaleel Ibrahim as the team coasted to 237 after being put in to bat.

Taking off on a positive note, openers Daniel Manohar and his new partner, T Suman, negotiated speedsters Gokulkrishna and Tamil Kumaran with ease before Suman was caught behind for 16 with the team score reading at 33.

Manohar was joined by Vinay Kumar and the duo laid a solid foundation with patience and skill, adding 78 runs for the second wicket. Gokulkrishna dealt a severe blow by dismissing Manohar for a well-made 54, which he compiled in the space of 101 balls with nine hits to the fence.

Vinay Kumar, who had seen the fall of two more wickets at the other end, found an able partner in Ibrahim Kaleel and the duo blended aggression with caution and raced to a 100-run partnership.

Vinay's 87 was the result a 334-minute effort at the crease. He faced 253 deliveries and hit 12 fours while Kaleel showed patience, playing the anchor role, to compile 44 off 128 deliveries.

Though Gokulkrishna and Tamil Kumaran generated raw pace they could not get desired results.

Skipper Suresh tried as many as seven bowlers but failed to get a breakthrough in the post-tea session.

Scoreboard

Hyderabad (1st innings):
D S Manohar C Vidyuth B Gokula Krishnan 54
T Suman C Karthick B Tamil Kumaran 16
D  Vinay Kumar batting 84
N Arjun Yadav C Karthick B Tamil Kumaran 8
A T Rayudu C Sharath B Ganapathy 7
Ibrahim Khaleel batting 44

Extras: (b4, lb5, w7, nb8) 24

Total: (for 4 wickets in 90 overs) 237

Fall of wickets: 1-33,2-111, 3-126, 4-137.

Bowling: Gokula Krishnan 13-1-43-1, Tamil Kumaran 19-5-52-2, Ganpathy 13-4-47-1, Suresh 16-7-38-0, Ram Kumar 17-6-26-0, Vidyuth 9-4-16-0, Badrinath 3-0-6-0.