After Manan Sharma's left-arm spin pegged Hyderabad back following a four-wicket strike, Delhi rode on the belligerence of left-hander Nitish Rana to post an impressive six-wicket victory by VJD method in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here on Friday.
Chasing Hyderabad’s 205, Delhi hunt was interrupted by rain at 90 for two in 15.3 overs. The lost time led to a revised target of 176 in 39 overs, based on VJD method. Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir departed soon after action resumed for 41 (six 4s) and Rishabh Pant fell to his flamboyance, but Rana (91 not out, 87b, 12x4, 2x6) kept his focus to take Delhi home.
Eventually, Delhi reached the target in the 31st over with Himmat Singh hitting a straight six. A second win raised Delhi’s tally to eight points, while Hyderabad remained on four points from two matches.
Once Hyderabad opted to bat, the fall of wickets at regular intervals ensured Delhi did not face a big target. By the time Manan struck three times, Hyderabad was tottering at 114 for six in the 29th over. But Hyderabad found its men in need as B. Sandeep (51, 67b, 5x4) and Mehdi Hasan (10) began the repair work to add 40 runs. The fall of these two wickets in quick succession raised visions of Delhi polishing off Hyderabad’s tail but that was not to be.
RELATED| Mishra spins Haryana to victory
The arrival of Mohammad Siraj saw runs come quickly. The all-rounder smashed two sixes and three boundaries in his unbeaten 24-ball 36 as Hyderabad battled from 155 for eight to 205.
Delhi’s chase began on a disastrous note. If Unmukt Chand was bowled off the first ball against Saurashtra yesterday, the opener faced a similar embarrassment off the second ball on this day. Dhruv Shorey (9) started confidently but was dismissed softly after he offered a simple catch at mid-wicket.
Rana and Gambhir lifted Delhi from 23 for two by adding 74 runs off 86 deliveries. The two left-handers dominated the bowlers until the rain-interruption affected Gambhir's concentration.
Rishabh Pant (17) was again a disappointment after his 23-ball knock with three boundaries seemed very promising. By the time Pant departed, Delhi needed just 36 runs. With Rana continuing his attacking ways and Himmat carrying on from his unbeaten match-winning knock against Saurashtra, these runs came off just 38 deliveries and Delhi won with plenty to spare.
Comments
SHARE