Delhi fall short

With hands spread like a bird8217;s wings, Ashwin Yadav celebrated as the middle stump cart-wheeled three times.

With hands spread like a bird8217;s wings, Ashwin Yadav celebrated as the middle stump cart-wheeled three times. His Hyderabad team mates tried to pounce on him, but Yadav escaped, darting across to the umpire and asking for the ball, shining on one side and looking scruffed up on the other, as a souvenir of his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

On the ball, Yadav scribbled his analysis with a pen 8212; 28-12-52-6. Throughout the day, the paceman had used reverse swing brilliantly to give Hyderabad a vital first-innings lead, and with it, three points in their kitty.

While the hosts were applauding each other 51 minutes after tea, the Delhi dressing room was dead silent, mourning a wasted effort. Ashwin had just outdone Punit Bisht8217;s gritty effort 8212; the Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman was the last man out with Delhi 50 runs short of their primary target.

But if Bisht8217;s 237-minute stay at the wicket for his 78 and his eighth-wicket partnership of 81 with Chetanya Nanda made up for a tantalising third day8217;s play, by close, the suspense was over. Hyderabad were 31 for no loss, taking their overall lead to 81 with 10 wickets intact as the match went into its inconsequential fourth day.

Irresponsible shots

Delhi struggled through the first session thanks to a variety of irresponsible shots from their frontline batsmen. On a wicket that is still flat after nine sessions, Delhi8217;s players seemed more concerned about their batting style rather than the requirements of the match. Encouraged by their frequent bouts of recklessness, the Hyderabad bowlers stuck to an unrelenting line, playing the waiting game. And the dividends came much quicker than expected. Delhi were all out for 284 in 112.2 overs.

After Aditya Jain8217;s troubled stay was terminated with a big thud on his pad from Yadav, the situation demanded Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia to play patiently. Things seemed fine for the first hour but the tendency of dominating the bowlers, and putting a lid on the constant chatter in the field, tempted Bhatia to flash aimlessly at an outgoing delivery.

Bisht walked in at 156 but Manhas dragged the ball onto his stumps, playing a lazy backfoot defence to left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan. The match was almost over at that point and Delhi couldn8217;t digest the lavish biryani laid out at lunch with the score at 186/6.

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Another tactical blunder, after the choice of a third seamer ahead of a second spinner, saw Pradeep Sangwan bat ahead of Chetanya Nanda. Sangwan tried to hoick against the turn towards mid-wicket and was caught at point.

Nanda and Bisht against Ashwin 038; Co was an entertaining 122-minute capsule. There were words exchanged and there was some stubborn resistance from the batsmen. It suddenly seemed that Delhi were creeping back before Nanda succumbed to Ashwin, a faint edge landing in the wicketkeeper8217;s gloves. Next man Nehra couldn8217;t survive for long, and Bisht, frustrated at the lack of support from the other end, gave in, to Ashwin, to end the innings.

Delhi didn8217;t look interested in pressing hard during the 16 overs bowled at the end. It will be the same on Thursday. The slugfest for three points, so vital in Ranji games, is already over.