Gambhir leads Delhi stroll into semifinals
Delhi needed a little over three hours on the final day to complete a seven-wicket defeat of Madhya Pradesh and secure their place in the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 in Vijayawada on Monday (December 11).
With Gautam Gambhir in the forefront, Delhi made light of a potentially tricky target at the Gokaraju Gangaraju ACA Cricket ground, racing to 217 for 3 in 51.4 overs to emphatically announce their title credentials.
Gambhir stroked his way to a fluent 95 before being run out with the target just 13 runs away, leaving Dhruv Shorey and Nitish Rana to complete the formalities.
Delhi, who had snatched a 67-run lead on the first innings, began day five on eight without loss and were seldom troubled despite losing Vikas Tokas to the 19th ball of the morning. Tokas, in the unusual role of an opener-nightwatchman, was caught off Ishwar Pandey with just three runs added to the tally, but that was about as good as it got for Madhya Pradesh.
Mihir Hirwani, whose legspin had fetched him 5 for 89 in the first innings, wheeled away with little success the second time around as Kunal Chandela and Gambhir, batting at No. 3, gradually ate into the target. By the time Hirwani tasted his only success of the innings, the second-wicket duo had realised 98 runs. Chandela, in just his second first-class game, topped up his first-innings 81 with an enterprising 57 off 85 deliveries, with six fours and two sixes. He now has a half-century in each of his three first-class knocks.
Any lingering hope Madhya Pradesh might have still had of making a match of it were dashed by a 95-run third-wicket alliance between Gambhir and Shorey. Gambhir moved into overdrive with a flurry of boundaries until he was run out by Hirwani just five short of his 42nd first-class hundred. His 95 came off 129 deliveries, and contained nine fours and a six.
Shorey and Rana easily took the team over the line, the former unbeaten on 46 when the tape was breasted.
With Gautam Gambhir in the forefront, Delhi made light of a potentially tricky target at the Gokaraju Gangaraju ACA Cricket ground, racing to 217 for 3 in 51.4 overs to emphatically announce their title credentials.
Gambhir stroked his way to a fluent 95 before being run out with the target just 13 runs away, leaving Dhruv Shorey and Nitish Rana to complete the formalities.
Delhi, who had snatched a 67-run lead on the first innings, began day five on eight without loss and were seldom troubled despite losing Vikas Tokas to the 19th ball of the morning. Tokas, in the unusual role of an opener-nightwatchman, was caught off Ishwar Pandey with just three runs added to the tally, but that was about as good as it got for Madhya Pradesh.
Mihir Hirwani, whose legspin had fetched him 5 for 89 in the first innings, wheeled away with little success the second time around as Kunal Chandela and Gambhir, batting at No. 3, gradually ate into the target. By the time Hirwani tasted his only success of the innings, the second-wicket duo had realised 98 runs. Chandela, in just his second first-class game, topped up his first-innings 81 with an enterprising 57 off 85 deliveries, with six fours and two sixes. He now has a half-century in each of his three first-class knocks.
Any lingering hope Madhya Pradesh might have still had of making a match of it were dashed by a 95-run third-wicket alliance between Gambhir and Shorey. Gambhir moved into overdrive with a flurry of boundaries until he was run out by Hirwani just five short of his 42nd first-class hundred. His 95 came off 129 deliveries, and contained nine fours and a six.
Shorey and Rana easily took the team over the line, the former unbeaten on 46 when the tape was breasted.
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