Gambhir scores 40 as Delhi face Baroda next

Former champions Delhi stuck to their pre-match game plan to weave a deserving eight wicket win over Tamil Nadu to progress to the semi-finals...

Former champions Delhi stuck to their pre-match game plan to weave a deserving eight wicket win over Tamil Nadu to progress to the semi-finals along with Saurashtra from Group-A of the National Ranji Trophy Super League Cricket championship here this afternoon.

Delhi needed just three points by virtue of their first innings lead but their winning the match without much ado helped them to top the group with 23 points. Saurashtra also finished with identical points by virtue of their first innings lead against Mumbai in Mumbai today.

Resuming at their overnight score of 10 without loss, Delhi lost its opener, Akash Chopra for 16 when he was caught by Srinivasan of Suresh Kumar in the 16th over. Delhi was one for 42 then, but lost captain, Gautam Gambir who also made his exit offering an easy catch to Yo Mahesh of Suresh.

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Gambir made 40 in 55 balls with seven fours. At that stage, Delhi required 41 runs to romp home and experienced Mitthun Manhas, who remained unbeaten with 32 of just 21 balls with four boundaries and S Dhawan (14 no) made the required runs.

Brief sores: Tamil Nadu 268 &164 lost to Delhi 338 &105/2 (G Gambhir 40, M Manhas not out 32) by 8 wickets

Baroda denies Orissa win

Baroda: A 215-run stand for the eighth wicket helped Baroda to a draw against Orissa and set the stage for a clash with Delhi in the Super League semifinal of the Ranji Trophy.

The hosts were reduced to 187 for eight and Orissa would have entertained thoughts of an outright win at that stage. But a double century partnership between Pinal Shah (148) and Rajesh Pawar (91) put paid to the visitors hopes.

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Orissa had claimed a first innings lead of 39 and would have fancied a victory if they had managed to finish off Baroda quickly.

When play was called off after eight mandatory overs, Baroda had totalled 424 for nine, an overall lead of 385 runs. Resuming at their overnight score of 120 for three, Baroda lost the wickets of S A Gaekwad (61) and A A Bilakhia (49), who put on 115 runs for the fourth wicket.

They were soon struggling with promising medium pacer Basant Mohanty claiming three wickets and veteran Debasis Mohanty and Saurav Sehgal claiming two scalps each.

Orissa skipper Shiv Sundar Das rotated the eight bowlers at his disposal but could not dislodge Shah, the Baroda wicketkeeper, and left-arm spinner Pawar, quickly enough.

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When the stand was finally broken, Baroda had reached 402, a lead of 363.

Brief scores: Baroda 255 and 424/9 (P Shah 148, R Pawar 91; B Mohanty 3/49) drew with Orissa 294 all out

Other scores

• Maharashtra: 276&140 (Y Venugopal Rao 56, Y Takawale 39; Vinay Kumar 6/38, S Joshi 4/18) lost to Karnataka 545 by 129 runs.

• UP: 336 & 294/3 decl. beat Hyderabad: 193 & 305 ( AS Yadav 42, A Shinde 43, DB Ravi Teja n.o.133; P Kumar 6/56) by 132 runs