Both Delhi and Bengal approached this crucial Ranji fixture,though for completely different reasons,by opting for a change in personnel. While Ashish Nehras absence was the talking point in the Delhi camp,Ranadeb Bose,Bengals most successful medium pacer in first class cricket (317 wickets in 91 matches),was replaced by debutant Veer Prathap Singh. If that call seemed questionable,Sourav Gangulys decision to bowl first on what looked like a flat track seemed a further gamble. Though Ganguly had plumped for youth,it was the experience of Ashok Dinda,having a great Ranji season,which justified the skippers call as the visitors finished at 252/8 at stumps on Day One. After an ordinary last season,Dinda seems to have gone back to the drawing board. The changes seem to be helping as Dinda has already scalped 25 wickets this season in five games. He kept the ball in the right areas and also added a mean lifter to his repertoire. Opener Unmukt Chand got one that climbed from length as the batsman could only fend to square-leg. Moving the ball both ways,Dinda troubled batsmen all day. He trapped Ankur Julka in front,though the decision seemed questionable,while Yogesh Nagar (30) was deceived by some late away movement to nick a drive to Subhomoy Das at gully. Kuldeep Rawat was beaten by an inswinger to be out leg before too. Holding an end up For Delhi,it was Shikhar Dhawan (76) who held an end up for long stretches of play. He did not try to manufacture shots and played within his limitations to come up with a composed knock. Just when he looked set to complete a deserved century,he suffered a loss in concentration to waft at a fairly innocuous Laxmi Ratan Shukla delivery to be dismissed. Even as the experienced Rajat Bhatia (59 batting) fought with a patient knock,Puneet Bishts (40) aggression led to his dismissal. After having added 81 runs for the sixth wicket after Delhi was in trouble at 147/5,Bisht,who had just struck Iresh Saxena for three boundaries in an over,holed out to mid-off. Veer Prathap also managed to pick up his maiden first-class wicket when he dismissed Delhi skipper Mithun Manhas (18) and could have had another had Shukla not dropped Nagar. If Bengal manages to bowl Delhi out early on Day Two,the side,with the return of Manoj Tiwary to its ranks,would back itself to push for the points,which are all the more vital for the hosts Bengal are battling relegation while for Delhi,it is a question of qualification for the knockouts. Brief scores: Delhi 252/8 (Shikhar Dhawan 76,Rajat Bhatia batting 59; Ashok Dinda 4/55) vs Bengal
