Opening woes continue

In the middle session,Punit Bisht made 52 and Mithun Manhas 42 to steer Delhi away from embarrassment,as momentum oscillated fabulously and the tournament opener,hitherto subsumed by England Test series preparations,came back to focus as a contest between two strong state sides.

Delhi,shot out for 235 in 65.2 overs,hit back to dismiss Tanmay Srivastava as Uttar Pradesh went to stumps at 40 for 1.

The pitch required batsmen to pack a couple of slices of luck in their kitbags alongside immense concentration and tight technique. Virender Sehwag walked out with Gautam Gambhir after UP skipper Suresh Raina won a crucial toss. Sehwag continued to play and miss outside the off stump. The Kumars — Praveen and Bhuvneshwar — operated from either end and got the new ball to dart around at will to leave the openers looking dishevelled. Sehwag seemed unable to decide whether to play his natural game or make concessions to the surface,and ended up meeting the ball with unusual tentativeness.

Praveen almost snapped up the Delhi skipper for 14 but Raina put down a difficult chance at second slip,diving to his right. But that didn’t cost UP too much. Sehwag managed four boundaries — three of them convincing —and nearly got past the dangerous first hour but was dismissed for 25 poking his bat to Praveen’s outswing after raising 39 for the first wicket at less than three an over.

Gambhir looked a shade better organised,spending more time in the middle and waiting for the loose ball. He hit his first boundary in the 12th over,a trademark steer through point. He fell on 32,a victim of excess caution and possibly debatable judgement from the umpire,shouldering arms to an Imtiaz delivery that changed direction after pitching and thudded into his pads.

Virat Kohli,coming in at No. 4,joined Unmukt Chand to raise a few quick runs. The former,still reflecting the vibes of an in-form batsman,was guilty of playing one stroke too many,jabbing at an away-going ball in Bhuvneshwar’s second spell after scoring 14. In less than two hours,the big three had been sent back.

Unlucky Chand

Chand,meanwhile,was unlucky,seeing the ball ricochet off the short leg fielder’s shin guard and pop into the hands of silly point. Delhi took lunch at 123 for 4.

Bisht and Manhas counter-attacked when the shine had worn off the ball but it wasn’t ready to reverse yet. They found the fence 12 times in the hour between lunch and drinks in a fifth wicket partnership that raised 86. Bisht scored 48 of his 52 runs in boundaries and fell immediately after celebrating the mini landmark. Manhas had earlier fallen to another indiscretion outside off stump and Delhi thereafter lost last six wickets for 43 runs in 11.1 overs.

The UP seam bowlers bowled long spells,hitting a length that forced the batsmen onto the front foot. Praveen and Imtiaz’s first spells lasted 10 overs each,complemented by shorter bursts from Bhuvneshwar.

Even though left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza failed to back them up,the seamers managed their workload admirably. Praveen did scare the team management,walking off with cramps,but returned to finish off the Delhi lower order and stand on the verge of a hat-trick when he bowls in the next innings.

On first impression,UP’s gamble of choosing a responsive pitch has worked,but with the ball reasonably new and Ishant Sharma looking ominous,it will boil down to the morning session on Day Two for a second opinion to form.

Brief scores: Delhi 235 in 65.2 overs (P Bisht 52,M Manhas 42,G Gambhir 32; Imtiaz Ahmed 5/59,Praveen Kumar 3/56) vs UP 40 for 1 in 13 overs (Ishant 1/12).