New Delhi, February 1: Off-spinner Shivam Sharma excelled with five wickets as Delhi concluded their Ranji Trophy league campaign with a convincing win over Railways on Saturday. Starting the day at 334 for seven, Delhi finished their innings at 374 all out, establishing a formidable 133-run lead.
Railways’ players displayed recklessness in their batting, hastening the match’s outcome.
They were dismissed for 114 runs in just 30.4 overs, suffering an innings defeat which granted Delhi seven points. Consequently, the crowd was deprived of a second opportunity to witness batting legend Virat Kohli in action during this match.
For Delhi, Sumit Mathur scored 86 runs, failing to convert his overnight score of 78 into a century, while Himanshu Sangwan, who triumphed over Kohli on day two, claimed four wickets.
This marked Delhi’s second victory of the season, and their chances of advancing to the knockout stage from Elite Group D hinge on the outcomes of other matches. This match drew national attention largely due to Kohli’s return to Ranji Trophy after a hiatus of 13 years.
The audience was left disappointed as Kohli couldn’t bat in the second innings, following Railways’ batters’ collective collapse on a slow, low pitch.
The former captain would have relished another chance at the crease after scoring six runs off 15 balls on day two.
The dismissal of Suraj Ahuja by Delhi’s left-arm pacer Siddhant Sharma via an inswinger marked the beginning of the end.
Opening partner Vivek Singh (12) managed a stunning cover drive off Siddhant before his aggressive approach led to his downfall, resulting in his catch at backward point off spinner Shivam.
Later, Mohammed Saif (31 off 31 balls) also attempted to take on Shivam but fell short, getting caught by the mid-on fielder.
Sidhant’s inswinger sent Suraj Ahuja packing. Even Delhi was taken aback by how swiftly the game concluded, yet the opposing players had other ideas.
Navdeep Saini bowled out Bhargav Merai to reduce Railways to 57 for four, before their star batter from the first innings, Upendra Yadav (19), was dismissed due to a delivery from Money Grewal.
The match concluded when number 10 Kunal Yadav fell to Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni, while number 11 Anchit Yadav didn’t bat.
Kohli, making his domestic return after 13 years, took some time in the dressing room with his teammates, sharing handshakes and taking photos.
He even dropped by the Railways’ dressing room to greet the opposing players.
Brief scores: Delhi 374 in 106.4 overs beat Railways 241 and 114 all out in 30.5 overs (Mohammed Saif 31; Shivam Sharma 5/33) by an innings and 19 runs. (PTI)
