Ranji Trophy: Do or die for Delhi

ROHTAK, Jan 9: First came the anticipation, the kind that surges through the system when a new season commences. Now comes the deja vu, accompanying the realisation that the Delhi Ranji circus is back where it started proceedings — a mile away from qualifying for the semifinals and within one false step of relegation from the Elite Division.
That Haryana — the opposition Delhi will face in their Group 'A' Super League clash — are in the same rocky boat will be cold comfort at the chilly, windswept Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium here, where the match commences on Wednesday.
There are reasons to be skeptical, as with all encounters that hinge on maths. Both Delhi (8 points) and Haryana (7) will be following the simultaneous progress of Uttar Pradesh against Baroda and Tamil Nadu against Andhra Pradesh.
An outright win with a bonus point for either UP or TN, on 4 points each, spells demotion for Delhi or Haryana. What Delhi — without a single outright win this season — need to be in the clear is 2 points from this game.
At the moment, however, nothing suggests that anything remarkable is about to happen. Because, apart from the performance of the team itself, rarely would the words 'at the moment' have been so loaded for Virender Sehwag, Delhi's captain and a batsman so desperately seeking form that the future has never been more of a gamble for him than now. The faithful would realise that such melodrama may never again play out before them.
Clearly, the occasion presents itself as an alternative to what the rare spectator fears most at domestic matches: boredom. Yet Delhi, in Chauhan's words, "would first seek to pick up the 2 points required to avoid relegation" and only then "think of an outright win".
Ironically, this is more anti-climax than denouement — so low is the burden of expectations on the team's shoulders. Chauhan feels that "Viru's presence will motivate the team, and his experience at the international level will be important in this crucial match". Ditto, but not necessarily in the same way, for Gautam Gambhir.
Still, there will be no escaping the sombre undercurrent of the track at this nascent cricketing venue. The pitch here is seamer-friendly; so much so, the Haryana-UP contest ended on the second day.
In this light, Joginder Sharma's wicket-taking skills for Haryana, and the absence of a certain Ishant Sharma from Delhi's lineup, could prove to be more than glorious uncertainties.
Those capable of seizing the moment will make up the rest of the story as the match goes on.