New Delhi: Delhi produced a menacing bowling display to storm into the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, thrashing minnows Assam by eight wickets.
Unheralded leg-spinner Varun Sood (4/36) spun a web around the Assam batsmen to register his career-best figures, while Pradeep Sangwan (2/13), Rajat Bhatia (2/9) and left-arm spinner Pawan Negi (2/12) shared six wickets between them to help Delhi shot out visitors for meagre 94 runs in 32.5 overs.
From here on, victory was just a formality for Delhi and the home team overwhelmed the target, scoring 96 in 20.2 overs for the loss of just two wickets.
Experience campaigner Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for Delhi with an unbeaten 42 off 60 balls, while Unmukt Chand (22) and Mithun Manhas (19 not out) also contributed to their team`s cause.
Right-arm pacer Dhiraj Goswami (1/20) and left-arm spinner Deepak Gohain (1/17) picked wicket apiece for Assam.
Earlier, opting to field at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, Sangwan and Bhatia started the slide for Assam and then Sood, in Negi`s company, ripped apart the visitor`s middle and lower order to bundle them out inside the 100-run mark.
Assam`s struggle can be made out from the fact that only four batsmen managed double digit scores with Dheeraj Jadhav (23) and wicket-keeper Rajdeep Das (20) being the notable contributors.
Delhi will face Railways in the quarter-finals of 50-over domestic tournament.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 05, 2012, 16:21