Their batting styles are as contrasting as their personalities—one distinctly aggressive, the other composed and steady. One takes chances, the other awaits his opportunities.Together, though, Delhi openers Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan can be bad news for any attack line. Today was one such in-form day. They consolidated, and were in command all along, with chanceless innings generating a steady 4-5 runs per over flow.At one end Dhawan was racing to his century in just 127 balls, scoring most of his 114 runs square and behind the wicket (17 fours, two sixes), and at the other end was Chopra, more watchful, but never unnerved.Dhawan’s pulls and hooks were immaculate, with short balls dealt with sternly. A straight drive off Sandeep Maniar, two sensational cover drives off Kanaiya Vaghela, some forceful slashes at fine leg and a six towards mid-wicket shone through.Chopra’s driving, especially towards point and extra cover, was sublime. He defended the good, punished the bad, and ensured runs kept coming at both ends. At one point he was even scoring a bit faster than Dhawan.If their previous performances were disappointing, today’s opening stand of 199 was uplifting. Dhawan’s aggression was finally undone in his effort at successive sixes, stepping out to Rakesh Druv. He was stumped.Chopra finished the day on an unbeaten 124 (16 fours), and standing beside him was Virat Kohli, whose quick-fire 40 was in no way less exceptional. Mayank Tehlan was the other casualty, given leg before to Sandeep Jobanputra.Delhi finished the third day of their Ranji Trophy super league match at a commanding 295/2 at the Roshanara Club Ground. They lead by 326 runs going into the fourth day.Brief scores: Delhi 244 and 295/2 (Aakash Chopra 124 batting, Shikhar Dhawan 114, Virat Kolhi 40 batting) vs Saurashtra 213 (Sitanshu Kotak 77; Ishant Sharma 4/72, Rajat Bhatia 4/16).
