The Andhra batsmen laid the groundwork for an impressive first innings total, but the inexperienced Delhi bowler was content to control his runrate on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy League match here at Arun Jaitley Stadium. was
After a start delayed by 90 minutes due to poor visibility, Delhi brought in Andorra. Despite an unintimidating attack in a quiet field, Andorra finished the day with 203 for 3 in 74 overs.
The highlight was his second wicket stand for C.R. Gnaneshwar (81, 158b, 14×4) and skipper Hanuma Vihari (76, 202b, defeating 11×4) scored 106 runs from 260 deliveries.
Knowing the limits of Delhi’s bowlers, Andorra could have scored more goals, but he decided to play it safe.
It is well known that poor visibility early in the first session and late in the third will certainly limit play on all days. Andhra’s winning percentage depends on how fast they can score. Finally, if Andhra is seriously looking for a win, he needs to give the bowler time to bowl Delhi his second.
For Delhi, he ended up with a bit of regret for dropping the catch of opener Abhishek Reddy. When newcomer Divij Mehra came in to bowl the second over of the innings, he could have tipped off the first ball to Reddy, but Himmat Singh made his usual in the second slip. I dropped my catch.
In the end, Mehra finally overtook his opponent and finished his first count of 47.
Wicketless’ second session, which produced 87 runs in 150 minutes, ended with Gnaneshwar and Vihari with 68 and 36 after facing 129 deliveries each. Vihari’s overly cautious approach helped the ill-fated Delhi his bowler retain confidence.
In the final session, Gnaneshwar and his rookie Ricky Bhui fell within 27 runs of him, bringing joy to his side at home. Vihari and K.S. Bharat added 23 runs from 62 deliveries to take the stumps.
The referee was able to regain his lost 60 minutes by adding 30 minutes each to the second and his third sessions.
With only 74 overs allowed on Tuesday, overscores could be the deciding factor in the days ahead, as evidenced by the draw between Delhi and Tamil Nadu two weeks ago.