Himateja century puts Hyderabad in command against Andhra in Ranji Trophy

On the third day of the Ranji Trophy match at the ACA Stadium in Mulapadu on October 20, 2026, Hyderabad batter K. Himateja scored a century to leave Andhra in a commanding position.

Himateja said the knock helped him overcome recent poor returns, and that he drew guidance from Tillakaratne Dilshan, Wasim Jaffer and coach Anirudh Singh in preparing for the season. He acknowledged limited practice before the campaign, noting, “I was a little worried because I didn’t do very well in the last two innings. I was well prepared in terms of my mindset but I didn’t practice so much before this season.” He also referenced appearances in the Duleep Trophy and the Under-25 Emerging Men’s Tournament and described this hundred as the best knock of his career.

A 99-run partnership with Ruthik Yadav underpinned Hyderabad’s recovery and set the platform for the team’s ascendancy in the match. “When I was batting, and two wickets fell, I knew in my mind that someone would partner with me,” he said, explaining how he had to resist changing plans or panicking in the heat of the moment.

Himateja credited his coach’s message on patience and partnership after he and Ruthik steadied the innings. “My coach [Anirudh] always tells me that once I keep playing there, someone or the other will stick around with me. That is what has happened. And I am very happy that Ruthik also gave his best there. He was very courageous and, in fact, I felt that he was more confident than I was in the middle.”

Outlining his immediate priorities while batting, Himateja said he focused on a team target rather than his personal milestone: “I just put my head down and thought about what I wanted to do. Not the 100, but to get that 250-run mark for the team. So we got there; obviously my 100 will also come,” Himateja, who has stuttered in the nineties a fair few times, narrated. He added, “And they were trying to bowl away from the stumps and not give me that run to get that mark. But I kept my cool.”

His time with Khammam Aces in the inaugural TG20 brought Dilshan into his development, and Himateja said the mentor’s advice shaped his approach to innings-building. “Dilshan sir told me that once I get the first 30 runs, I just have to milk them. I don’t have to do anything stupid; just stick to the basics and do things right. Once the first step was done, he said there was no way I could throw away my wicket. All those conversations with him, everything aligned together, and my batting has become much more positive.” He also noted Jaffer’s input after Jaffer was roped in as a mentor by the HCA: “Wasim sir was with us during the emerging camp. He always told me to just look for runs no matter what situation I’m playing. Today that was very evident, because even when the wickets were falling, I was just looking to score. We had a chat two or three days ago also, about how to go about things, how to play on the turners and such. All those conversations have definitely helped me.”

On specific technical adjustments, Himateja said he altered his initial defensiveness on Anirudh’s advice and then trusted his instincts to find boundaries: “I was very defensive during the first inning and he told me that once I played 15-20 balls, I shouldn’t be that defensive, to go about my shots and trust my instincts. Even Wasim sir told me the same. I think I trusted my instincts a lot today and I was able to get those boundaries. Once I got those boundaries, things got easy.”

Hyderabad’s position after Himateja’s century leaves the side well placed in the match and in the hunt for its second Ranji Trophy win on the trot.