All-rounder Kunwar Bidhuri and the talented Himmat Singh struck fighting half-centuries to rescue Delhi from a precarious position as the hosts reached 270 for 6 against Gujarat here on the first day of their group A encounter.
Delhi at one stage were staring down the barrel at 136 for 5 with only opener Hiten Dalal (69 off 130 balls) looking comfortable against the Gujarat attack.
However, Himmat (56 off 153 balls), who made a comeback into the senior side along with Kunwar (78 batting off 133 balls) rescued Delhi with a 134-run sixth wicket stand.
Pacer Arzan Nagaswalla (3/54 in 18 overs) was the pick of the Gujarat bowlers while seasoned Axar Patel (1/60 in 18.3 overs) did the most important job of dismissing Himmat off the last ball of the day.
The right-hander, who showed tremendous patience during his 153-ball stay went for a drive but the edge landed in Rujul Bhatt’s hands in the slip cordon.
This was after he had hit eight fours and a six during his knock. Kunwar, who scored his maiden half-century, was more attacking of the two, with 11 fours and a six to his credit.
Assam out for 97
Rohtak: Haryana gained the upper hand on an eventful opening day of their Group C match against Assam, taking a 101-run lead after bundling out their opponents for 97 in the first innings.
Haryana finished the day at 198 for 9.
Captain Harshal Patel’s decision to bowl after winning the toss paid dividends as he and left-arm spinner Tinu Kundu (5/35) wrecked the Assam batting line-up, making good use of the conditions. Medium-pacer Patel, who has been key for Haryana this season, finished with 4 for 32.
In reply, Haryana looked in trouble having lost half the side for 65 before a defiant 76-run partnership between Chaitanya Bishnoi (46) and R P Sharma (59) sparked a revival.
Later, the skipper Harshal Patel (28) smacked three fours and two sixes to help Haryana extend the lead.
Saurashtra reduce Mumbai to 249/8
Rajkot: Saurashtra left arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja snared five wickets to leave Mumbai teetering at 249 for eight in Elite Group B game.
Had Sarfaraz Khan yet again not rescued Mumbai after they suffered a top-order collapse with his 78, the 41-time Ranji champions would have been in more trouble in what is a must-win game for them.
Jadeja (5/90) rattled their top-order and among his wickets were Jay Bista (43), Bhupen Lalwani (25), Siddesh Lad (13) and rival skipper Aditya Tare (10).
Struggling at 88 for four, Sarfaraz (78 off 126 balls; 9x4 and 2x6) and all-rounder Shams Mulani (59 not out off 171 balls; 6x4; 2x6) steadied the ship with their 109-run stand for the fifth wicket. They ensured that the domestic giants took lunch and tea without losing any further wickets.
Sarfaraz, who took his team out of trouble in the last two matches, again played a matured and responsible knock.
However, after doing all the hard work, he fell on 78 after being cleaned up by Kamlesh Makwana. Sarfaraz’s unbeaten run thus ended in first-class cricket after amassing 605 runs from three innings. Aditya Tare (10) was dismissed cheaply as he became Jadeja’s fourth victim. Mulani held one end and completed his fourth fifty after tapping Jadeja for a single.
However, Mulani ran out of partners with Vinayak Bhoir (21) and Shashank Attarde (0) also falling in quick succession as Saurashtra took honours on day 1.
For the hosts, Jadeja was ably supported by Mankad (2/30) and Makwana (1/46).
Earlier, the Saurashtra Cricket Association felicitated senior speedster Jaydev Unadkat for taking 300 scalps in first-class cricket. Unadkat, however, missed the game due to niggle.