Rana powers Delhi past Vidarbha

New Delhi, January 22

If at all a shot can define a player’s coming of age, then the winning six hit by Nitish Rana was exactly that. The six not only completed an improbable win for Delhi over two-time defending champions Vidarbha, with it Rana also completed a much deserved century that was key to the hosts winning the match.

Set a stiff target of 347, Delhi got over the line with Rana plundering a 68-ball 105. Openers Kunal Chandela (75) and Hiten Dalal (82) first combined to put together a crucial 163-run partnership and later Dhruv Shorey (44) and Anuj Rawat chipped in with crucial runs as Delhi avenged their 2017 Ranji final loss.

This was Vidarbha’s first loss in 29 First-Class matches.

The Delhi thinktank was given a glimmer of hope when Vidarbha declared their second innings at 330/3 last evening. The plan was to see out the new ball and not lose too many wickets until lunch, and then launch a victory bid. Chandela and Dalal played their part to perfection as they took Delhi to 103/0 at lunch. Vidarbha’s left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate was troubling the openers, so to counter his threat, the left-handed Rana was promoted to the No. 3 slot.

The win puts Delhi back in the mix for a place in the knockout stage. The win was sweet revenge for Rana and a few others as Vidarbha beat Delhi in the 2017 Ranji Trophy final. — TNS

Brief scores: Vidarbha: 179 & 330/3 decl; Delhi: 163 & 348/4 in 76.5 overs (N Rana 105*, H Dalal 82, K Chandela 75)