Vijay Hazare Trophy: Delhi knocked out, but Unmukt Chand gets a lifeline

“We have decided to recall Unmukt and Pawan for the remaining games and Rana and Negi have been dropped,” says selector Nikhil Chopra. Unmukt, who didn’t find a place in the initial 15-man squad led by young Rishabh Pant, now gets an opportunity to cement his place in the team. The right-hander has had an indifferent run with the bat in the Ranji season, and this could well be a make or break time for him. “This is a big, and very important break for Unmukt. We have given him another opportunity and I’m sure he would be looking to make most of this one. We will continue pumping in young players you can see how well Kulwant is bowling,” Chopra adds.

A forgettable start to Pant’s captaincy

The star-studded unit, led by 19-year-old Rishabh Pant, performed miserably in the first three games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While the bowlers conceded 300+ in all the three games, batsmen could cross the score of 250 only once. Senior players such as Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan have got off to starts but are yet to convert it into a big one. Spinners, who played a key role in the side’s run to the final last year, looked out of sorts.

After having slipped to three consecutive defeats, Delhi have missed the spot for the quarters. They have three inconsequential games remaining — against Tripura, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.