Delhi pacers wreck Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy

NEW DELHI - Parvinder Awana took five wickets as pacers put Delhi on top against Maharashtra on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Super League tie at the Roshanara Club ground here Wednesday.

Delhi could add only 75 more to their overnight total of 344 for four and wrapped up their first innings for 419 before bowling out Maharashtra for 163 and asking the visitors to follow on.

At stumps, Maharashtra were 32 for one in their second knock, trailing by 224 runs, with skipper Harshad Khadiwal and Sangram Atitkar at crease.

Right-arm seamer Awana (5-40) did the damage with a career-best haul while Sumit Narwal (2-36) and Pawan Suyal (2-25) contributed well. And Maharashtra folded up in 43.2 overs.

The day belonged to the bowlers with as many as 17 wickets falling.

Delhi will be hoping to close the match Thursday for their second outright victory. An innings win or a ten-wicket victory would give them one extra bonus point and strengthen their chances of a quarterfinal place.

Maharashtra, however, began the day on high as their left-arm seamers Samad Fallah (5-121) and Jitendra Patil (4-113) exploited the nippy morning conditions. The two ran through the hosts’ batting that lost their last six wickets in 20 overs.

First days unbeaten centurion Mithun Manhas (170) was first to depart, caught behind off Fallah in the third over of the day. The 30-year-old chipped in four more to his overnight score and his 253-ball innings included 20 fours.

Yogesh Nagar (18) and Puneet Bisht (21) then weaved 43 more for the fifth-wicket before Bisht, who played a match-saving century in the previous match against Saurashtra, gave a catch to wicketkeeper Rohit Motwani off Patel.

Nagar followed in the next over after Fallah tempted him to nick an away going ball to Motwani. Sangwan, who showed his prowess with the bat with a career-best 57 against Saurashtra, survived eight balls before being trapped leg before by Patil.

In reply, Maharashtra were off to an ominous start losing opener Atitkar (1) and Khadiwal (10) for 23 in the seven overs before lunch. The trend continued in the post-lunch session and the visitors were soon reeling at 68 for six. Nagar had Ganesh Gaikwad caught in the backward short leg by Ankur Julka, but was disallowed to bowl another over by the umpires due to a suspect action.

The ninth-wicket stand of 53 runs between Digambar Waghmare (20 not out) and Patil (39) was the lone bright point for Maharashtra.

Patil when on 34 was lucky to get a reprieve when he was knocked off by Suyal but the delivery was no-balled by the umpires. The left-arm seamer, however, returned in his next over to bowl Patil out.