A 107-run partnership between Ayush Badoni and Ayush Doseja put Delhi firmly in control against Jammu & Kashmir on Monday (November 10). After jostling for the last two days, the hosts staged a spirited
fightback through brisk half-centuries from Badoni and Doseja. But just as momentum looked to be shifting, Delhi suffered a sudden batting collapse, leaving them staring at an improbable defeat.
The collapse sparked after J&K’s Vivrant Sharma pulled off a stunning running catch at deep square leg to end Badoni’s fluent 72 off 73 balls. The final six wickets fell for just 35 runs – five of them fell within 25 balls after tea, and the hosts, who seemed poised for a far bigger lead, settled for just 178.
Jammu and Kashmir capitalized on the momentum, reaching 55 for 2 by stumps and moving within 124 runs of scripting their maiden Ranji Trophy win over Delhi.
Leading Delhi to dismay were the J&K tweakers Vanshaj Sharma and Sahil Lotra, who shared 9 wickets among each other. Sharma, who is settled in Delhi and had played cricket at the school level alongside some of his competitors, returned 6 for 68. It was his third five-wicket haul in just the fourth First-class game since making his debut last February.
“Sometimes the ball stayed low, but otherwise it came onto the bat quite nicely. Badoni and Doseja showed that while they were batting, so we decided to take the pace off. The surface is mostly flat, though the odd ball did turn — and to exploit that, I focused on bowling slower. In the end, it worked out well,” Vanshaj told reporters here on Monday.
While Vanshaj registered his best First-class figures, Lotra bagged 3 for 73 in 23 overs.
What looked like Delhi’s ballgame at one point has now turned into an outright defeat on cards – their first-ever against Jammu & Kashmir in Ranji Trophy history. Chasing 179, the visitors responded at will. Opener Qamran Iqbal took the attack to the bowlers in the brief evening session, striking six boundaries off both pace and spin.
For Delhi, the pattern of underwhelming performances continues. Their campaign so far has been marred by muddled team selections and inconsistencies. Further adding to their woes is a winless streak at home. As play resumes on Tuesday, the hosts will be hoping for a miracle — either a drastic change in surface conditions or an inspired burst with the ball — to rescue what increasingly looks like another disappointing result.
Brief Scores:
Delhi: 211 & 277 (Ayush Badoni 72, Ayush Doseja 62, Vanshaj Sharma 6/63)
J&K 310 and 55/2.
