Off-spinner Shivam Sharma returned with figures of 5/33 to help Delhi complete an innings and 19-run win over Railways on Saturday, the third day of their Ranji Trophy match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Delhi in their first outing were dismissed for 374, adding 40 runs from their overnight total. The hosts took a lead of 133 runs. In reply, Railways were bowled out for 114. The win was not enough for Delhi to qualify for the knockouts. With just two wins in their season, they finished third behind Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu in Group D.
The Kotla atmosphere was dull compared to what was witnessed in the first two days. There was a huge roar from the handful crowd, when Virat Kohli entered the field but as Railways batters kept getting out quickly, the crowd also went silent.
There was a major security lapse in the penultimate over of the first session as well. Three fans breached the heavy security cordon and barged into the field of play in a desperate attempt to meet Kohli, who was playing his first Ranji Trophy match in 12 years.
“Virat bhaiya ka craze itna hai. But it is not the right thing obviously for them to enter. We were just joking about it within the team. The fans could have brought something with them. They didn’t say anything to Virat. They just told Virat to tell the security not to hit them. There were three fans,” Delhi off-spinner Shivam Sharma told reporters.
Shivam, who was making a comeback into the Delhi Ranji team after four years, played only three games this season but he justified his selection as he ran through Railways’ batting line-up.
“There was wear and tear on the wicket. But we didn’t expect the match to end so quickly. We were confident of a positive result, but we didn’t think it would get over so quickly,” said Sharma.
Railways batsmen showed no fight in their second chance, as opener Suraj Ahuja was pinned for 1 by left-arm seamer Siddhant Sharma. Vivek Singh Mohammed Saif added 31 runs for the second wicket. But, it was little consolation for the visitors as Delhi captain Ayush Badoni introduced Sharma into the attack. The off-spinner struck in his very first ball of the spell, removing Vivek. He then ended Saif’s counter-attack.
Railways batsmen found the going tough against Sharma. The off-spinner came into his own in his second spell as the ball got old. Upendra Yadav and Karn Sharma, who reduced Railways in the first innings were looking good, but Sharma got the better of Karn first. Upendra was pinned by medium pacer Money Grewal.
Sharma had Himansu Snagwan, who got Virat Kohli’s wicket, clean bowled. He then sent back Rahul Sharma to the pavilion and completed his fifer.
Sharma, who has represented Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, has credited his success to playing in the different parts of the country.
“I have bettered my stock ball. In the last 2-3 years, I have played in the tournaments I can in different parts of the country, whether it is in Maharashtra, Kolkata or Assam. It has helped me get the experience of different venues and pitches and I am reaping the benefits,” he said.
The 31-year-old admitted that playing too much white-ball cricket has hampered his bowling.
“T20 cricket has increased in the last 5-6 years. I had started bowling quicker in the air. It had become a habit. So, I have had to work hard specifically on getting the right pace back in four-day cricket by doing a lot of single-wicket bowling. In the last two years, I have worked on this,” he said.
Brief Scores
Delhi: 374 in 106.4 overs
Railways: 241 and 114 all out in 30.5 overs (Mohammed Saif 31; Shivam Sharma 5/33)
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