In four-day cricket, each day is a new game. To win it, you have to win every day. It’s a fact that every cricketer knows but the game has its own ways to keep reminding them, often through a loss.
Delhi got their lesson on Tuesday when they lost three wickets in the last session of the day to find themselves on backfoot in a match that they started by dismissing Punjab for just 74. The leaders of Day One have become laggards by Day Three. Credit also goes to Punjab for fighting their way back in the game.
Resuming the day at 177 for 3, Punjab put up a good batting show to score 402 in the second innings and set up a difficult 327-run target for Delhi at the Roshanara Club ground here. later on, some incisive bowling by Punjab pacers, who bowled a probing line, brought three crucial wickets for them. At close, Delhi were 60 for the loss of Unmukt Chand (0), Vaibhav Rawal (35) and Mithun Manhas (0).
The discretion that skipper Gautam Gambhir (22 not out) showed at the other end was the only positive for Delhi, who are looking to win this match and stay in contention for the knockout round.
The weather, which was the talking point on Day One, continued to be sunny for the second consecutive day allowing 92 overs in the day. The sun and several rounds of rolling on the pitch eased out the playing strip a bit as Punjab batsmen dominated the proceedings.
Skipper Mandeep Singh played a crucial 80-run knock while Jiwanjot Singh, who missed his 150 by three runs, kept holding the fort at the other end. They shared a significant 159-run stand for the fourth wicket before rookie pacer Navdeep Saini broke the partnership as he trapped Mandeep in front of the wicket.
Saini disappointed with his erratic line on Monday but he was impressive on Tuesday displaying more control and used the old ball well. In the Punjab dominated morning session, he was the only successful bowler for Delhi. He also made up for the injury forced absence of Delhi’s one of the lead bowlers, Parvinder Awana, bowling tirelessly —15 overs consecutively — on either side of the lunch break.
Delhi started their chase with the loss of Unmukt on the fourth ball of the very first over. Next man in, Vaibhav Rawal, played confidently with his captain to stabilise Delhi’s innings but, just half-an-hour before the stumps, lost his focus as he dragged a ball from outside off-stump on his wickets. He scored 35 off 58 balls. Their most experienced batsman after Virender Sehwag, Mithun Manhas too departed soon without adding anything to the team’s score. Delhi’s hopes now rest on the shoulders of Gambhir and Sehwag.
Brief Scores
Punjab: 74 & 402 (Jiwanjot Singh 147, Mandeep Singh 80, Gitansh Khera 49, Ashish Nehra 4/101) lead Delhi: 150 & 60/3 (Gautam Gambhir 22 batting) by 267 runs.