Delhi’s batting woes continued on day two of their Ranji Trophy clash against Assam at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Despite several players getting starts, the home side found themselves trailing by 116 runs with four wickets remaining in their first innings.
Skipper Himmat Singh top-scored with 55, while Yash Dhull and Sanat Sangwan contributed 47 each. However, none of them could convert their starts into substantial scores, unlike Sumit Ghadigaonkar, who had scored 162 for Assam.
Delhi’s innings began disastrously with Gagan Vats dismissed for a duck off the very first ball. Dhull and Sangwan steadied the ship with a 66-run partnership for the second wicket, but Dhull’s dismissal just after lunch proved costly.
Himmat and Sangwan looked assured at the crease, but their efforts were not enough to lift Delhi out of trouble. The frustration was evident as the home side failed to capitalize on their opportunities.
Earlier in the day, Delhi’s bowlers had done their job by taking the remaining four Assam wickets fairly quickly. Himmat’s catch to dismiss Mukhtar Hussain was a highlight, as he ran back a few meters while following the trajectory of the ball and completed an excellent catch.
Harshit Rana claimed his five-for with a full ball to Mrinmoy Dutta that clattered the stumps, wrapping up Assam’s innings at 330.
Delhi now faces an uphill battle to even claim first-innings honors when play resumes on Monday. Their batting has been underwhelming throughout the season, and they will need to find a way to turn things around if they want to avoid defeat.
