Heartbreak for Delhi

Personal records were the only thing left for the defending champions to play for as Day Three progressed against Rajasthan...

Personal records were the only thing left for the defending champions to play for as Day Three progressed against Rajasthan on Saturday. By the time the first drinks break was taken, Delhi’s hopes of sneaking into the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals were over, as news broke of Saurashtra’s resounding win over Hyderabad in Rajkot. So, both Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan settled down to make up for the lost runs in their season.

Chopra completed his double ton, his fifth in first-class cricket, and Dhawan made his first century of the season. Even Virat Kohli chipped in with 83.

But after Kohli’s dismissal, who feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Vikram Singh off Pankaj Singh, the match meandered towards a draw as Delhi started to lose steam and motivation. All the combinations and permutations had drawn the same conclusion: Delhi were out, even if they had registered a bonus victory. Saurashtra’s run-quotient was insurmountable.

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Delhi had started the day briskly. Going at over four runs an over, they racked up 178 in 37 overs in the first session with the loss of just Dhawan’s wicket. But as the day progressed, there was nothing to look forward to. And so, even after scoring 500 runs and with a sizeable lead of 210 runs, Delhi did not declare.

Rajat Bhatia (26) and Yogesh Nagar (15) were the unbeaten batsmen as Delhi ended the day at 505 for five.

Earlier, Chopra and Dhawan put together 280 runs for the opening wicket, and the former beat his partner to the team’s first century this season. He brought up the mark in 147 balls, with 19 boundaries and a six. Dhawan took 30 balls more to reach his season’s best.

Dhawan was dismissed minutes before lunch, caught at long leg trying to sweep Mohammad Aslam.

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“It is heartbreak. Regardless of the runs we scored it was pretty obvious that we were not going anywhere,” Delhi skipper Aakash Chopra said.

Coach Dahiya looked back on lost opportunities: “These were the first tons for the team this season. This sums the season. We have only ourselves to blame.”

Scoreboard

Delhi 1st innings (overnight 117 for no loss): A Chopra c Vikram Singh b Chanwaria 210, S Dhawan c Gajender Singh b Aslam 118, V Kohli c Vikram Singh b Pankaj Singh 83, M Manhas c V Rao b Gajender Singh 12, P Bisht c V Rao b Aslam 5, R Bhatia batting 26, Y Nagar batting 15; Extras (b 19, lb 3, nb 11, w 3) 36; Total (for 5 wickets; 125 overs) 505

FoW: 1-280 (Dhawan, 62.1), 2-416 (Kohli, 95.5), 3-435 (Manhas, 102.6), 4-463 (Chopra, 111.1), 5-465 (Bisht, 112.6).

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Bowling: Pankaj Singh 26-4-91-1, V Yadav 24-4-71-0, V Chanwaria 14-1-62-1, M Aslam 19-1-77-2, Gajender Singh 29-3-111-1, V Rao 10-0-44-0, Kuldeep Singh 3-0-27-0

Railway authorities promptly took action, shifting passengers to other coaches and quickly extinguishing the fire.

Fire noticed in coach of Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express, no casualties reported

India48 min ago

A fire broke out in a coach of Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express at Sirhind Station in Punjab, but no casualties were reported. Railway officials quickly took action, shifting passengers to other coaches and extinguishing the fire. The train will depart to its destination shortly. The incident occurred at 07:30 hrs and is currently being investigated.

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