Ranji Trophy: Shivam Claims Five Wickets as Delhi Dominates Railways by an Innings and 19 Runs
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Synopsis
On February 1, 2024, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, off-spinner Shivam Sharma showcased his talent with a five-wicket haul, leading Delhi to a dominant victory over Railways by an innings and 19 runs. Despite securing a bonus point, Delhi's win wasn't enough for them to progress in the Ranji Trophy.
Key Takeaways
- Shivam Sharma achieved a remarkable 5-33.
- Delhi defeated Railways by an innings and 19 runs.
- The match concluded in under three days.
- Delhi earned a bonus point but did not qualify for knockouts.
- Shivam's performance marked his return after nearly four years.
New Delhi, Feb 1 (NationPress) Off-spinner Shivam Sharma delivered an outstanding performance, securing a remarkable five-wicket haul as Delhi triumphed over Railways by an innings and 19 runs during their final Ranji Trophy Group D league match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
Despite earning a bonus point from this emphatic victory back at their home ground, it wasn't sufficient for Delhi to qualify for the Ranji Trophy knockouts. The match concluded in under three days on a pitch that offered low bounce, with Delhi capitalizing on Shivam's exceptional spell and the Railways batters exhibiting poor shot selection.
In his return to first-class cricket after nearly four years, Shivam achieved figures of 5-33 in 11 overs, marking his third five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket, as Railways were dismissed for 114 in their second innings, lasting only 30.5 overs.
In the morning session, resuming from 334/7, Sumit Mathur began with a boundary, reaching his 80s, while Siddhant Sharma provided solid support. After Delhi extended their lead beyond 100 runs, Siddhant Sharma fell to a catch in the slip off Kunal Yadav, and Mathur was trapped lbw by Himanshu Sangwan for 86.
Himanshu took the final wicket of Delhi's innings by bowling Money Grewal, concluding Delhi's innings at 374 runs in 106.4 overs, giving them a substantial 133-run lead.
For their second innings, Railways had to rearrange their batting order due to Anchit Yadav being unable to bat because of an injury sustained while fielding in Delhi's first innings. Delhi struck early in the second over as left-arm pacer Siddhant bowled Railways captain Suraj Ahuja lbw with a nip-backer.
Vivek Singh and Mohammad Saif managed to hit five boundaries between them before Shivam Sharma dismissed both. Vivek was caught out for 12 at point, while Saif lofted a catch to mid-on, scoring 31. Navdeep Saini delivered a spectacular moment by knocking down Bhargav Merai's off and middle stumps.
There was a brief interruption in the session during the 18th over when three spectators breached the security perimeter and approached Virat Kohli to touch his feet. It required over 20 security personnel to remove the intruders from the field.
After Delhi reduced Railways to 74/4 at lunch, they achieved success on the third ball of the second session when Money Grewal trapped first innings top scorer Upendra Yadav lbw, followed by Shivam dismissing Karn Sharma in the same manner and then bowling Himanshu.
Shivam completed his five-wicket haul by having Rahul Sharma caught at point, while captain Ayush Badoni ended the match by having Kunal Yadav miscue to point, as Delhi secured victory with a bonus point, concluding their 2024/25 domestic season on a high note.
Brief Scores: Railways 241 in 67.4 overs and 114/9 in 30.5 overs (Mohammad Saif 31, Ayan Chaudhari 30 not out; Shivam Sharma 5-33) lost to Delhi 374 in 106.4 overs (Ayush Badoni 99, Sumit Mathur 86; Himanshu Sangwan 4-55, Kunal Yadav 3-104) by an innings and 19 runs.
