Ranji Trophy: Rare double by Bhatia

NAGOTHANE, December 11: Delhi missed out on a golden opportunity to ensure that they won’t need to bat again in their Elite division Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra here on Tuesday.
At 367-5, the visitors had a lead of 148 on Day Three of this four-day match with five wickets in hand and 11 overs remaining for lunch time. However, they lost three quick wickets, including those of Rajat Bhatia (107, 314b, 374m, 5x4s, 2x6s) and Mayank Tehlan (53) before the interval.That meant Delhi eventually led by only 190 runs, thereby putting a question mark on the practical possibility of an innings win (or 10 wkt victory) and six points in the kitty.
Maharashtra were 129-4 at stumps, still trailing by 61 runs.
Rajat Bhatia achieved a rare double of a five-wicket haul and a hundred. Though his 123-run sixth-wicket partnership with Tehlan was on the slower side (taking more than 47 overs), it shut the hosts out of the game.
Maharashtra’s left-arm spinner Salil Agharkar was a revelation on Tuesday. On a wicket which had a little bit of turn along with some wear and tear, he proved good on both counts: containing the scoring rate and taking wickets. In fact, he took 5-85, his first five-wicket haul in this fifth match, the highlight being some orthodox turners mixed with arm balls. If Maharashtra bat out a draw from this position, they will not only earn a crucial 1 point, they will also deny Delhi - who are their competitors in the race for a semifinals slot - two or three more points.