The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Delhi takes first innings lead

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Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007
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Delhi takes first innings lead

Special Correspondent

Nagothane: Maharashtra’s seamers struggled to make use of favourable conditions as Akash Chopra, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia scored half-centuries for Delhi on the second day of the Ranji Trophy group ‘A’ match at the Reliance Cricket Stadium here on Monday.

The host’s seam bowling spearheaded by Wahin Sayyeed and Samad Fallah was sharp and accurate, but not sufficiently penetrative enough to dismiss more than four batsmen (Shikhar Dhawan fell on Sunday) sending down a little over 93 overs. Delhi, in pursuit of gaining the first innings advantage, closed the second day at 278 for five wickets — a lead of 59 runs with Bhatia unbeaten on 66 and Mayank Tehlan giving him company.

Resuming its innings at 23 for one, Delhi was cautious almost right through, but Manhas and Bhatia did not let the loose ball go unpunished executing some fine shots on either side of the wicket. Bhatia even struck two soaring shots over the fence.

Chetanya Nanda, who did not face a ball on Sunday after the departure of Dhawan, hardly struck a shot in the course of his one hour tenure in the middle. He opted to block whatever came at him from Sayyeed and Fallah and left the exacting work of scoring runs to senior partner Chopra. The second wicket pair frustrated Maharashtra before Fallah struck twice.

Sehwag fails

After a few forward defensive strokes, Sehwag, who came at the fall of the second wicket, clipped the left arm seamer to backward square leg and on drove him through conventional mid off; the two shots delighted a very sparse crowd. But Fallah had his prized scalp in a most emphatic manner by disturbing Sehwag’s leg stump. Woefully out of form and not even finding a place in the 24 probables announced for the tour of Australia, Sehwag, attemped a proper cover drive, but the ball seamed in to take the inside edge and knock the leg stump.

From 78 for three, Delhi took control through a 75 run stand between Chopra and Manhas and thereafter by way of a 91 run stand between Manhas and Bhatia. Chopra may have been lucky to survive a few confident shouts for leg before; umpire Sanjeev Rao did not appear to be interested in the appeals. Umpire S. Lakshmanan also did not respond favourably for a caught at the wicket appeal.

After a three and a quarter stay, Chopra (73, 132b, 8x4) fell to leg spinner Sairaj Bahutule. Thereafter, Manhas (74, 148b, 7x4) and Bhatia kept the Maharashtra attack at bay for close to four hours before Manhas nicked to wicketkeeper Vishant More. Sayyeed and Fallah, playing in their first season in the national championship, were the pick of the home team attack.

Maharashtra — 1st innings: 219.

Delhi — 1st innings: A. Chopra lbw b Bahutule 73, S. Dhawan c Takawale b Sayyeed 7, C. Nanda c sub (D. Mohan) b Fallah 10, V. Sehwag b Fallah 9, M. Manhas c More b Agharkar 74, R. Bhatia (batting) 66, M. Tehlan (batting) 14, Extras (b-7, lb-6, nb-8, w-4): 25; Total (for five wkts. in 100 overs): 278.

Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-61, 3-78, 4-153, 5-244.

Maharashtra bowling: Sayyeed 20-8-49-1, Fallah 24-8-69-2, Khadiwale 12-2-24-0, Bahutule 13-0-48-1, Agharkar 21-3-51-1, Rao 10-1-24-0.

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