Ranji Trophy: Shorey-Rana pair puts Delhi in command against Punjab

MOHALI: A 122-run partnership between Delhi's captain Dhruv Shorey (96) and vice-captain Nitish Rana (64 not out) put the visitors in a commanding position against Punjab on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Group A tie at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium on Saturday.Delhi were 195 for 4 at stumps on Day 2, trailing by 118 runs in response to Punjab's 313.Dhruv came to the crease after Delhi lost their opener Anuj Rawat (0) on the second ball of their innings. Rawat was caught by wicket-keeper Anmol Malhotra off Baltej Singh's bowling. Shorey and Kunal Chandela (31) then steadied the innings and kept the scoreboard ticking. The 64-run stand ended as Anmol took a single-handed stunner off Sanvir's bowling.Delhi were 64/2 in 23.3 overs when Shorey was joined by his deputy Nitish. The pair found gaps at will and timed the ball well to keep the pressure on the Punjab bowlers. Shorey reached his half-century century with a four against leg-spinner Mayank Markande.The way Shorey shaped his innings was quite remarkable. The only bad shot he played cost him the wicket. Looking to complete his fifth first-class century memorably, Shorey was a bit early into a half-tracker from off-spinner Akul Pandove and ended up lifting the shot to Mayank, who was patrolling the point boundary. Shorey was on his knees and stayed there for a while before heading back, four shy of the milestone. His innings included 13 hits to the fence. "I don't want to talk about the way I got out," Shorey said after the end of day's play.When asked how the pitch behaved, the Delhi captain said: "It is a very good pitch to bat, if you apply yourself. I am happy with the way I constructed my innings. The partnership with Nitish was very crucial. I think he batted really well and hopefully, he converts it tomorrow. Yes we lost a couple of wickets towards the fag end of the day, but I think we are in a good position. Our first target is to take the first innings lead," he added.Punjab crawled back into the game, thanks to the dismissal of Shorey and night watchmen Simarjeet Singh (1), who was trapped in-front by Mayank.For Punjab, Baltej Singh (1/43), Sanvir Singh (1/37), Mayank Markande (1/28) and Akul Pandove (1/22) shared the spoils.Punjab coach Munish Bali feels that the game is still very much in the balance with a new batsman at the crease and the new ball due in 13 overs. "That last wicket partnership between Akul and Baltej has given us a cushion. I am very pleased with the performance of my team. The wicket has also eased down a lot but they never dropped their shoulders and those two wickets are fine examples of it," said Bali."The first session will be very important for us. A couple of quick wickets up front will help our cause," he added.Earlier, Punjab tail-enders added 49 runs to their overnight score of 266 for 8. Akul Pandove (44 not out) and Baltej Singh (11) added 39 runs for the last wicket to frustrate Delhi bowlers.ScoreboardPunjab 1st innings: 313 all out in 99.3 oversDelhi 1st innings: Anuj Rawat c Anmol Malhotra b Baltej Singh 0, Kunal Chandela c Anmol Malhotra b Sanvir Singh 31, Dhruv Shorey c Mayank Markande b Akul Pandove 96, Nitish Rana not out 64, Simarjeet Singh lbw Mayank Markande 1Extras: 3Total: 195 for 4 in 67.3 oversBowling: Baltej Singh 14-1-43-1, Arshdeep Singh 13-3-40-0, Sanvir Singh 14-5-37-1, Mayank Markande 13.3-3-28-1, Akul Pandove 8-0-22-1, Gurkeerat Mann 5-0-22-0FOW: 1-2 (Anuj Rawat, 0.2 ov), 2-64 (Kunal Chandela, 23.3 ov), 3-186 (Dhruv Shorey, 62.3 ov), 4-195 (Simarjeet Singh, 67.3 ov)