Bidhuri, Baroka restrict Punjab to 266 for 8 after Shubman Gill controversy

Mohali, Jan 3 () Delhi's seamer all-rounder Kunwar Bidhuri and leg-spinner Tejas Baroka restricted Punjab to 266 for eight after Shubman Gill grabbed headlines for arguing with an umpire in the Ranji Trophy here on Friday. Bidhuri (3/62 in 13 overs) and Baroka (2/34 in 10 overs) put the brakes on scoring on the opening day of the Group A match. Skipper Mandeep Singh's painstaking (81 off 181 balls) was the only saving grace for the hosts. The morning was marred by the Gill incident that led to the match being halted for close to 10 minutes after the India A white-ball captain was adjudged caught behind by umpire Mohammed Rafi when he was on 10. The bowler was slow medium bowler Subodh Bhati. However, Gill got into an argument with Rafi and the umpire, after consulting square leg umpire Paschim Pathak, overturned the decision. This didn't go well with Delhi vice-captain Nitish Rana, who asked the umpires why the decision was changed. The Delhi players were annoyed and after the match referee's intervention, the game started again. Gill (23 off 41 balls) didn't last long as he edged one off Simarjeet Singh (1/64 in 15 overs) to Anuj Rawat behind the stumps. Gurkeerat Mann (65 off 50 balls) entertained for a while as he struck 12 boundaries in his innings before a delivery from left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra (1/52 in 29 overs), whose job was to bowl wicket to wicket and keep one end tight, castled him. Mandeep and Anmolpreet Singh (45) had a 64-run stand before Bidhuri got one to held its line and trap Anmol plumb in-front. Sharad Lumba (0) gave a return catch to Baroka, who also removed Anmol Malhotra, caught by skipper Dhruv Shorey. At 223 for six, Mandeep didn't have the option to attack as Bidhuru struck twice with the old ball, castling Mayank Markande and then getting Mandeep caught by substitute fielder Vaibhav Kandpal. Brief Scores: In Mohali: Punjab 266/8 (Mandeep Singh 81, Gurkeerat Mann 62, Kunwar Bidhuri 3/64) vs Delhi. In Kolkata: Bengal vs Gujarat. 1st day's play washed out. In Hyderabad: Kerala 126/7 (Salman Nozar 37, M Ravi Kiran 3/24. Mohammed Siraj 2/36). In Jaipur: Rajasthan 151 (Ashok Menaria 74, CV Stephen 4/67, KV Shashikanth 4/50). KHS KHS AH AH