Ranji Trophy 2015: Against Haryana, Unmukt Chand shines brightest

Unmukt Chand, Delhi vice-captain, missed his century by one run. (Source: Express photo by Amit Mishra)

DELHI’S wicketkeeper Mohit Ahlawat has had a disastrous start to his Ranji campaign. In the three matches of his debut season, he has scored 5 runs at an average of 1. What’s worse, he is yet to open his account in the three innings he has played at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

He had his chance to make amends though, when he walked in to bat at the fall of captain Gautam Gambhir’s wicket. In the third over of the day. Delhi were comfortably placed at 1/73, still needing 151 runs more to overhaul Haryana’s target. Coming in at the back of a series of low scores, the 19-year-old found the going tough against an in-form Harshal Patel.

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Buoyed by the early strike of Gambhir, Patel was steaming in and bowling difficult lines. Delhi’s rookie keeper could survive only five deliveries, before he was trapped in front by Patel. In the final morning, Haryana got two wickets in the space of 21 deliveries.

Seeing the mayhem at the other end was Delhi’s vice-captain Unmukt Chand. Beginning the day at 48, he looked positive and kept the scoreboard ticking. Luckily for him, he found an able ally in the young Nitish Rana. The young southpaw was particularly severe on off-spinner Jayant Yadav. When Yadav tossed it up, Rana would reach the pitch of the delivery at drive it past mid-off for a boundary. And if he bowled short, Rana would happily rock back and cut it past point. The duo added 81 runs in 22 overs.

Extremely crucial runs in the context of the game. A brilliant catch by Chaitanya Bishnoi at fine-leg ended Rana’s vigil. He may have scored only 25, but his stand with Chand helped Delhi close in on a win.

Bulk of the credit for Delhi’s steady chase should go to Chand. He provided Delhi with a rollicking start towards the fag end on Day 3 to give the innings the momentum at the top. An innings replete with some exquisite shots through the off-side, Chand never got into his shell, and always looked to dominate the proceedings. As Gambhir’s deputy motored along to 99, he played a rare rash shot — a square-cut off a wide Ashish Hooda delivery to wicketkeeper Saini. When Chand departed, Delhi still needed another 60 runs.

His dismissal was enough to lift Haryana’s spirits. With Delhi’s fragile middle-order, Virender Sehwag sensed an opening. He persisted with Patel and Hooda — his two most experienced bowlers.

In the afternoon session, Haryana’s pace battery bent their backs trying to get life out of a slow and placid Kotla track. Like in the first innings, the duo were amply rewarded for their lion-hearted efforts.

Hooda first cleaned up Nagar, while Patel had Manan Sharma caught behind. In the space of nine overs since Chand’s departure, Haryana got two more wickets to leave Delhi at 6/183 — still 41 runs behind and with possibly four lower order wickets in the shed. With Ishant hobbling in the dressing room due to a hamstring niggle, there was uncertainty if he would even come out to bat. The situation at the Kotla in the afternoon session was tense.

Luckily for Gambhir though, he did not need the services of the injured Ishant.

This was because Pradeep Sangwan and Milind Kumar soaked in the pressure and played common sense and risk-free cricket to take Delhi home without any further setbacks. The two added another 20 excruciating runs, after which both Patel and Hooda were taken out of the attack. Milind finally provided the finishing touch, stroking two boundaries off Jayant Yadav to seal the deal for the home side.
At the start of the season, not many would have expected Delhi to win two of first three games of this season. Mired in factionalism and deep-rooted politics, Delhi cricket looked like it had reached the point of no-return. The two back-to- back wins — against Vidarbha and Haryana — would defintely restore confidence in this young and relatively inexperienced side. Despite the twin wins, coach Vijay Dahiya reckons there were areas, which needed drastic improvements.

“The No.3 and our middle-order really needs to fire soon. I will concede that they have been poor in the three matches so far. Having said that, this is the best side we’ve got and will persist with them,” he said.

The fragile middle-order notwithstanding, Dahiya would be happy at Chand’s prolific form at the top of the order. The opener has consistently given Delhi brisk starts. He has now scored 397 runs in three games at an average of 79.4.

Brief Scores: Delhi 237 (Chand 68, Nitish Rana 48, Jayant Yadav 4-78) and 225 for 6 (Chand 99, Milind 44, Harshal Patel 4-76) beat Haryana 195 (Jayant Yadav 41, Manan Sharma 5-57) and 265 (Sehwag 51, Manan Sharma 6-105) by four wickets.