A superb century by opening batsman Unmukt Chand powered Delhi into the final of the N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy by drubbing India Red by 112 runs at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here Saturday.
|Last Updated: Sep 28, 2013, 06:40 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Indore: A superb century by opening batsman Unmukt Chand powered Delhi into the final of the N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy by drubbing India Red by 112 runs at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here Saturday.
In a must win final group match, Chand`s 119 took Delhi to 342/6 in their quota of 50 overs against which India Red were bowled out for 230 in 40.1 overs.
Put in to bat, Delhi`s batting looked solid with Gautam Gambhir (20) and Chand striking a 61-run partnership for the opening wicket.
After Gambhir`s dismissal, skipper Virat Kohli (63) joined Chand and blasted through the field, making 63 off just 55 balls, which included five boundaries and two sixes. The duo put on 93 runs together before Kohli was stumped by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel in the 25th over.
Former Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag, however, failed to capitalise on his opportunity, making only eight before being bowled by left arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem.
Chand, however, continued to anchor the innings hitting 12 boundaries and three sixes in his 131-ball knock and was well supported by Milind Kumar (57) in the middle overs.
Towards the end of the innings, experienced all-rounder Rajat Bhatia struck a few hefty blows to take Delhi well past the 300-mark. Bhatia remained unbeaten at 40 which came off only 19 deliveries and included three sixes and boundaries each.
Abhimanyu Mithun, 23, though expensive, clinched three important Delhi wickets, including that of Gambhir and Chand while Nadeem scalped two.
In response, India Red did not take off well and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Abhinav Mukund (64) tried to guide his team through but was not given enough support.
In the end, Gurkeerat Singh struck some lusty blows to take India Red past the 200 mark. The 23-year-old thrashed the ball all over the park scoring 83 off 51 balls which included eight boundaries and four huge sixes.
Experienced Delhi pacer Ashish Nehra and left arm orthodox bowler Varun Sood were having a gala day having shared nine wickets between them. Sood finished with figures of 5/84 from his 12 overs while Nehra clinched 4/38 from his nine.
In the final Sunday, Delhi will take on India Blue.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.