Mumbai,Delhi split points

Delhi openers Unmukt Chand and captain Gautam Gambhir were in no hurry.

The most probable result in the Mumbai vs Delhi clash once their first innings ended in a stalemate both sides were bowled out for 324 was going to be a draw. The match stuck to script and in the end was just that,a draw.

The fourth days play started with the Aditya Tare and Siddhesh Lad continuing to flay the Delhi attack but both fell in quick succession,to Pawan Suyal and Asish Nehra respectively. A half-century by Abhishek Nayar helped Mumbai cross the 300-run mark and captain Zaheer Khan finally declared the innings at 347 for six,setting Delhi 348 to win.

Needing to reach the target in 63 possible overs,Delhi openers Unmukt Chand and captain Gautam Gambhir were in no hurry. Gambhir reached his half-century and left the field retired hurt to make way for his former India teammate Virender Sehwag. The 35-year old did well to improve the Delhi run-rate with his trademark aggressive batting,hitting a six and five fours in a 22-ball 35. Chand went on to score a hundred.

At the start of the final hour,with 15 overs left,Delhi needed 150. Both captains decided to call for a draw and settled for a point each.

Tare,Lad show

Despite the draw,It was Mumbai who took most positives from the match. The match served as a platform for the pair of Tare and Lad,who were responsible for a healthy chunk of the 671 runs the hosts put up over the two innings.

Opening the batting for the Mumbai side,Tare forged a steady 94-run partnership with Lad,batting at number four,in the first innings to guide the hosts away from trouble. Tare eventually scored 53 while Lad,playing in only his second first class game,scored 74. The pair bettered their statistics in the second innings through a steady 147-run partnership before centurion Tare 123 was bowled by Suyal. Lad continued the attack to gather 85 before getting caught behind by Delhi wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht off a Nehra delivery.

Good chemistry

Other than reading the deliveries well,a key feature demonstrated by the pair,in both innings was the fluidity and understanding they had between each other. We have played before for the Indian Oil team,so we know each others strong and weak points well, says 26-year old Tare. Agreeing with his teammate,21-year old Lad adds that both are roommates at the hotel whenever they are away from home and that furthers their bond.

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Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni expressed his satisfaction with the pairs performance. Its good to see that with so many big players retiring or being unavailable,Tare and Lad have stepped up to perform for the team, he said.

While Zaheer Khan was declared man of the match,the games highlights reel would feature more of Tare and Lads efforts.

Brief scores: Mumbai 324 amp; 347/6 decl Aditya Tare 123,Siddhesh Lad 85,Abhishek Nayar 60; Pawan Suyal 52/3,Manan Sharma 42/1 drew with Delhi 324 amp; 198/0 Unmukt Chand 106,Gambhir 51,Sehwag 35.