Chandigarh Nudges Ahead of Delhi in Ranji Trophy Contest

Riding on opener Shivam Bhambri's eye-catching knock of 80, Chandigarh managed to nudge ahead of Delhi on day two of a Group D Ranji Trophy contest. A number of handy contributions from the middle and lower order, too, made a difference as the host secured a 48-run first-innings lead on a pitch where the spinners were extracting appreciable assistance.

Bhambri's 111-ball 80 proved crucial for Chandigarh. The right-hander, who has been in fine form this season, played a patient and composed innings, anchoring the team's batting effort. He found support from wicketkeeper Mayank Sidhu (44) and Aayush Sikka (24), who stitched together a 62-run partnership to deflate Delhi's hopes of grabbing first-innings honours.

Delhi captain Himmat Singh relied heavily on spin given the conditions on offer, but pacers Himanshu Chauhan and Siddhant Sharma bowled only 19 of the 92 overs that they were on the field. Ayush Badoni, who is in the team more for his batting, was the most successful of the four tweakers Delhi had at its disposal, claiming four for 57 in 14 overs of off-spin. Left-arm spinner Sumit Mathur bowled well too, returning figures of 28-5-72-3.

It was Mathur who made the first breakthrough of day two. Introduced in the 11th over of the day, the 26-year-old removed Manan Vohra immediately. The Chandigarh skipper had added 100 runs for the second wicket alongside Bhambri before being caught by Yash Dhull at cover off a ball that seemed to hold up on the surface.

Three more wickets in the opening session, including that of Bhambri who miscued a slog sweep to long on, reduced Chandigarh to 182 for five at lunch, 94 runs adrift of the visitor's total with five wickets in hand. Instead of pressing the panic button, Sidhu and Sikka were judicious in their shot selection and stitched together a 62-run partnership. It went a long way towards deflating Delhi's hopes of grabbing first-innings honours.

Badoni, nevertheless, stuck to his task and ended with a four-wicket haul for his second straight game. The scores:

Delhi — 1st innings: 276.

Chandigarh — 1st innings: Arslan Khan b Siddhant 0, Shivam Bhambri c Kshitiz b Shokeen 80, Manan Vohra c Dhull b Mathur 44, Ankit Kaushik c Himmat b Mathur 2, Rajangad Bawa b Badoni 33, Aayush Sikka lbw b Badoni 24, Mayank Sidhu c (sub) b Badoni 44, Gurinder Singh b Badoni 32, Jagjit Singh Sandhu c Vashisth b Siddhant 18, Nishunk Birla (not out) 21, Vishu Kashyap b Mathur 9; Extras (b-12, lb-3, w-2): 17; Total (in 92 overs): 324.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-100, 3-104, 4-160, 5-164, 6-226, 7-273, 8-278, 9-302.

Delhi bowling: Siddhant 12-3-37-2, Chauhan 7-0-32-0, Mathur 28-5-72-3, Shokeen 18-1-60-1, Vashisth 13-1-51-0, Badoni 14-2-57-4.

Delhi — 2nd innings: Sanat Sangwan (batting) 19, Anuj Rawat (batting) 13; Total (for no loss in 10 overs): 32.

Chandigarh bowling: Vishu 4-1-13-0, Birla 5-1-13-0, Gurinder 1-0-6-0.

Tags: #RanjiTrophy, #Cricket, #Chandigarh, #Delhi, #ShivamBhambri