If Delhi’s batting was bad, their bowling was even worse. After getting out for 202 against depleted Karnataka bowling attack on Monday, Delhi bowlers failed to contain the opposition batsmen on Tuesday.
Karnataka’s Stuart Binny, who got his maiden call-up in the Indian team on Tuesday, ripped Delhi’s spinners apart to help his team take first innings lead on the second day of their Ranji Trophy tie at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here. At stumps, Karnataka were 226 for 5 leading Delhi by 24 runs in their last group league match.
Delhi needed full seven points from this match to give fate a chance to help them qualify for the quarterfinals but a poor show by the team in all the departments meant that they are out of the race.
In the morning, when the match started after around one and a half hour delay due to bad light, Ashish Nehra and Rajat Bhatia provided Delhi quick breakthroughs. Their good work was followed by left-arm spinner Varun Sood, who dismissed Manish Pandey and Abrar Kazi cheaply and reduced Karnataka to 73/4.
But the arrival of Binny in the centre changed the equation completely.
Delhi’s ploy to play with three spinners on a slow track failed as opener Karun Nair, who remained unbeaten on 92 not out, batted patiently through out the day and let Binny bat freely. Nair, who saw other Karnataka batsmen falling cheaply from the other end, shared a 127-run stand for the fifth wicket with Binny.
The 29-year-old Binny took the Delhi spinners to task, especially left-arm spinner Manan Sharma and off-spinner Manoj Chauhan, and hit six sixes and seven fours en route to his 94-ball 88. Only Sood came out unscathed.
The Delhi team had expected a track with help for spinners and included three of them in the squad. So far, it has played a bit slow and there wasn’t much turn for the spinners. The lack of experience also made them vulnerable as they are finding it difficult to adjust with the conditions and the pressure as they aren’t regulars in the team. In fact, Chauhan is playing his first match of the season.
Brief Scores
Delhi: 202 trail Karnataka: 226/5 (Karun Nair 92*, Stuart Binny 88; Ashish Nehra 2/33, Varun Sood 2/75) by 24 runs.