Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant set up close Delhi win

BENGALURU: Age, they say, is merely a number. For proof, look no further than Virat Kohli.The former India captain, who turned 37 last month, continues to defy the passage of time. With the bat, he still makes prolific youngsters look ordinary. In the field, his energy and intensity can outdo even the quickest. On Friday, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here, it was vintage Kohli once again — only the opposition had changed. Less than 48 hours after opening Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with a century against Andhra, Kohli returned to the middle, this time against Gujarat. Though he fell short of another three-figure score, stumped on 77 (61b; 13x4;1x6), his 81-minute stay at the crease was unmistakably Kohli — authoritative and brimming with control. His innings, combined with a mature knock from Rishabh Pant (70), laid the foundation for Delhi’s thrilling seven-run win. Fittingly, Kohli — who was scheduled to feature in only two matches — signed off from the tournament by pouching the winning catch, dismissing Ravi Bishnoi as Delhi sealed the contest. He was also named the man of the match. Asked to bat, Delhi posted a competitive 254/9 on a testing surface before bowling out Gujarat for 247 in 47.4 overs. At 213/6 in the 42nd over, Gujarat appeared to be in control, but a dramatic 47th over, which yielded two quick wickets, swung the momentum. As the chase tightened, Prince Yadav (3/37) delivered the final blow to close out the game. Earlier, Kohli was forced into action early after Chintan Gaja sent Priyansh Arya back in the second over. From then on, Kohli assumed command, dealing largely in boundaries. He looked in sublime touch, and a trademark on-drive off Arzan Nagwaswalla in the seventh over stood out as one of the shots of the day. The introduction of leg-spinner Bishnoi coincided with Kohli’s half-century, which he brought up in just 29 balls by slashing through the covers for four. Imperious and seemingly unstoppable, Kohli’s stay ended when he went down the track to left-arm spinner Vishal Jayswal (4/42) and missed, allowing wicketkeeper Urvil Patel to whip off the bails in a flash. At the other end, Pant, who last played an ODI in Aug last year, shelved his usual aggression for caution. Walking in with Delhi at 98/3, Pant focused on rebuilding. His half-century off 62 balls was highlighted by a clean strike off Bishnoi over long-on. His resistance ended on 70 (79 balls; 8 fours, 2 sixes) when he dropped to one knee to work Jayswal on the leg side, only to miss and see his stumps disturbed. Brief scoresDelhi: 254/9 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 77, Rishabh Pant 70, Harsh Tyagi 40; Ravi Bishnoi 2-50, Vishal Jayswal 4-42)beats Gujarat: 247 in 47.4 overs (Aarya Desai 57, Urvil Patel 31, Abhishek Desai 26, Saurav Chauhan 49, Jayswal 26; Ishant Sharma 2-28, Prince Yadav 3-37, Arpit Rana 2-39)