Delhi’s insipid spin attack undid the good work of their batters as the hosts failed to secure full points against Himachal Pradesh, settling for a draw in their Group D Ranji Trophy fixture on Tuesday. Chasing 343, Himachal reached 168 for 2 in 46 overs when bad light forced an early end to proceedings. Earlier, Delhi declared their second innings at 209 for 4 after facing only nine deliveries in the morning session.
Skipper Ankush Bains (81 not out) and left-hander Pukhraj Mann (76 not out) added 160 runs and looked set to accelerate with around 175 required in 40 overs. Delhi collected three points by virtue of their first-innings lead, while HP took home one. However, the Delhi bowlers had only themselves to blame. After reducing HP to 8 for 2 inside three overs, they failed to make inroads as left-arm spinners Rounak Waghela and Sumit Mathur lacked bite. Even Money Grewal (2/31) faded after an impressive opening spell.
The surface offered little assistance, and with no sharp turn or pace, Bains and Pukhraj played with comfort, picking their moments to attack. In overcast conditions, senior pacer Navdeep Saini (0/31 in 10 overs) had a chance to lead by example, but the spark that once defined him, was missing, as he struggled to extract any movement off the pitch.
Brief Scores: Delhi 430 and 209/4 decl (Yash Dhull 70, Ayush Doseja 64); Himachal Pradesh 297 and 168/2 (Ankush Bains 81 no, Pukhraj Mann 76 no). Points: Delhi 3; HP 1.
In Mumbai: Mumbai 416; Chhattisgarh 217 (Ayush Pandey 50, Shams Mulani 5/59) and (f/o) 201/3 (Ayush Pandey 117). Points: Mumbai 3; Chhattisgarh 1.
In Puducherry: Hyderabad 435; Puducherry 126 (Tanay Thyagarajan 4/48) and (f/o) 97/5 (Tanay Thyagarajan 2/35). Points: Hyderabad 3; Puducherry 1.
