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Bhatia, Bisht stand tall for Delhi

Special Correspondent

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

THRIVING UNDER PRESSURE: Rajat Bhatia 150-run stand for the sixth wicket with Puneet Bisht took Delhi past Punjab’s first innings total.

NEW DELHI: Rajat Bhatia is Delhi’s man for all seasons. A cricketer with plenty of grit and ambitions, he hauled the team out of a hole with an innings that earned him the respect of his teammates. He fell short of a century by a mere run but ensured that Delhi took the first innings lead on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy super league match against Punjab here on Wednesday.

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Resuming at 142 for no loss, Delhi lost its way when four wickets fell in the first hour. The sound start had been frittered away even though there was hardly any significant change in the nature of the pitch. The ball seamed a little and the Punjab bowlers displayed greater control over line and length.

It was a fascinating tussle. Bhatia, who faced 168 balls and hit 14 fours, carried the team on his shoulders after the departure of the openers Aakash Chopra and Sikhar Dhawan. Virat Kohli and Aditya Jain came a cropper against the seaming ball and perished in the slips.

The situation was ideal for Punjab to stifle the Delhi batting but Bhatia and the diminutive Puneet Bisht showed remarkable resilience in a partnership that was worth 150 runs for the sixth wicket.

Bhatia’s shot selection was exemplary. It may have been a different story had Pankaj Dharmani not grassed Bisht at first slip off Gagandeep when the batsman was on nine. The lapse cost Punjab dearly for Bisht batted flawlessly and in the company of Bhatia, put Delhi in a safe position.

Bisht, who was caught at first slip, fell to Yuvraj Singh for a well-made 76 off 144 balls with 10 fours.

Bhatia paid the penalty for becoming overcautious in the nineties. “I was waiting for the appropriate ball (to get to the century),” said a disappointed Bhatia.

The scores: Punjab — 1st innings: 391.

Delhi — 1st innings: A. Chopra lbw b Goni 76, S. Dhawan c Dharmani b Gagandeep 72, V. Kohli c Yuvraj b S. Kaul 6, M. Manhas lbw b S. Kaul 58, A. Jain c Dharmani b Gagandeep 1, R. Bhatia lbw b Ladda 99, P. Bisht c Ravi Inder b Yuvraj 76, P. Sangwan (run out) 27, C. Nanda (batting) 0, A. Nehra (batting) 0; Extras (b-8, lb-5, nb-6) 19. Total (for eight wkts. in 113 overs): 434.

Fall of wickets: 1-155, 2-161, 3-171, 4-172, 5-245, 6-395, 7-434, 8-434.

Punjab bowling: Gagandeep 30-3-97-2, Goni 30-4-121-1, S. Kaul 25-2-116-2, S. Ladda 22-2-66-1, A. Kakkar 1-0-7-0, Yuvraj Singh 5-0-14-1.

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