Mohali, Nov. 13: Skipper V.V.S. Laxman (55) and Arjun Yadav (unbeaten on 57) helped Hyderabad hold on for a draw against Punjab in their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match here on Friday. Punjab earned three points, two more than Hyderabad, as they had taken a narrow 28-run first innings lead on Thursday.

Chasing 336 to win on the final day, Hyderabad managed 254/7 to deny Punjab an outright win. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat opener Jay Desai scored a brisk century but it was Tamil Nadu who claimed three points for their first innings lead after their Super League Group A match ended in a stalemate.

Tamil Nadu began at 357/6 and declared their first innings at 419/8 after their skipper Dinesh Karthik (88) missed out on a century. Gujarat, who made 343 in their first innings, were trailing by 73 runs and ended the day at 165/4. Desai did most the scoring for the hosts as he made 108 off 166 balls with 17 boundaries and three sixes.

In Rajkot, Saurashtra survived some anxious moments before managing a draw against Uttar Pradesh in their opening Group B match. Uttar Pradesh declared their second innings at 148/9, setting a target of 277 for Saurashtra — who scored 155/5.

In Mumbai, the hosts had to share one point with Orissa in their Group A match. Orissa held on grimly led by Niranjan Behera’s unbeaten 78 to end on 243/8 after Mumbai declared their first innings on 307/4.

In Delhi, Railways had to be satisfied with just one point from their Group A match against Himachal Pradesh. — PTI