Cricket

Chandigarh's remarkable journey in the Ranji Trophy has reached new heights as they secured a resounding victory over Delhi, their third consecutive win in the tournament. This triumph has solidified their position atop the standings in Group D with 19 points from four matches, bringing them closer to a quarterfinal berth for the first time in their five-year existence.After resuming the fourth day on 46 for no loss, Chandigarh needed 157 runs to seal the victory. The host team displayed their dominance by chasing down the target at a run rate of 5.06 with nine wickets in hand. Shivam Bhambri emerged as the star with the bat, notching up a century in the final stages of the game with a six over mid-on off Hrithik Shokeen. Bhambri had also made a significant contribution of 80 runs in the first innings, earning him the Player of the Match Award.Manan Vohra's presence at the crease was equally significant. The 31-year-old captain has been at the helm of Chandigarh since its inaugural season in 2019-20. Vohra expressed his team's elation and the culmination of their hard work over the past five years. He acknowledged the challenges they faced in the past, including the threat of relegation to the Plate division. However, the recent victories have ignited a sense of confidence and determination within the team.The scores:Delhi — 1st innings: 276. Chandigarh — 1st innings: 324. Delhi — 2nd innings: 250. Chandigarh — 2nd innings: Arslan Khan c Shokeen b Mathur 68, Shivam Bhambri (not out) 100, Manan Vohra (not out) 24; Extras (b-8, lb-3, w-1): 12; Total (for one wkt. in 40.2 overs): 204. Fall of wicket: 1-130. Delhi bowling: Siddhant 5-1-17-0, Shokeen 7.2-0-50-0, Badoni 5-0-17-0, Mathur 9-2-34-1, Chauhan 4-0-14-0, Vashisth 9-1-48-0, Dhull 1-0-13-0. Player of the Match: Shivam Bhambri.

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.

Delhi's batting woes continue to haunt them as they prepare to face Chandigarh in the Ranji Trophy clash starting Wednesday. Despite individual contributions in the first three matches of the season, the team has yet to witness a collective show of strength from its top six batters.In the opening encounter against Chhattisgarh, almost all of Delhi's specialist batters squandered promising starts. The notable exception was Jonty Sidhu, who combined effectively with the lower order to secure a first-innings lead and reach his third First Class century.The draw against Tamil Nadu saw Yash Dhull play a lone hand with an unbeaten century in the first innings, while Sanat Sangwan shouldered much of the responsibility in the second essay. Even in the victory over Assam, the turnaround was engineered by Harshit Rana, Sumit Mathur, and Siddhant Sharma, all bowling all-rounders who made handy contributions lower down the order against a tiring attack."We need bigger partnerships between the openers. In the middle order, hundreds are important," said Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh after the previous game.The return of Anuj Rawat and Ayush Badoni to the squad bolsters Delhi's batting options. All-rounder Hrithik Shokeen is also available, having been absent from the previous two matches due to commitments with India-A in the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Oman.The other notable change in the squad is the omission of Rana, who is set to fly out with the Indian team for the Test tour of Australia. The 22-year-old pacer had taken a fifer and scored a half-century for Delhi before joining up with the India squad as a reserve for the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.Since losing to Railways in the opening round, Chandigarh, led by Manan Vohra, has registered emphatic victories against Assam and Jharkhand.

Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm fast bowler from India, received a grand reception upon his return to his hometown of Chandigarh. His fans and loved ones celebrated his arrival with traditional bhangra dance, flower garlands, and a lively procession.Arshdeep's outstanding performance in the recent T20 World Cup was instrumental in India's victorious campaign. He emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, claiming 17 wickets alongside Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi."I want to play all formats but at the moment I just want to enjoy the moment and spend time with my family," Arshdeep told PTI Videos while travelling in an open vehicle."I am feeling very happy. I thank everyone for giving me so much love," added Arshdeep.The streets of Chandigarh were filled with jubilant fans, proudly wearing their Team India jerseys and waving the national flag as they celebrated the arrival of Arshdeep. The young cricketer had just returned from Mumbai, where he participated in a victory parade alongside his teammates, following their triumphant win at the T20 World Cup.In a nail-biting final held at Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday, the Indian team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, secured a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa. This remarkable achievement also marked India as the first team to win the T20 World Cup without suffering a single defeat throughout the tournament.India celebrated a momentous victory as they clinched their first global title in over a decade and secured their second T20 World Cup win after a 17-year wait.The team's journey back home faced an unexpected hurdle when they found themselves stranded in Barbados due to the looming threat of hurricane Beryl.Upon finally touching down in New Delhi via a chartered flight, the triumphant Men In Blue were honored with a grand reception hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. The celebration took place over breakfast at the Prime Minister's official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.As the day progressed, the city of Mumbai witnessed an outpouring of love and support from fans. A massive crowd gathered along Marine Drive to welcome the team, cheering them on as they made their way to the Wankhede Stadium in an open bus, basking in the glory of their victory parade.