Ranji Trophy: Upendra Yadav scores 95 as Delhi trails Railways by 200 runs
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Synopsis
On January 30, Upendra Yadav's impressive 95 helped Railways score 241 in their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi, who ended Day One at 41/1. The match drew a huge crowd eager to see Virat Kohli return to domestic cricket.
Key Takeaways
- Upendra Yadav scored 95 runs for Railways.
- Delhi trails by 200 runs after Day One.
- Virat Kohli's return attracted a large crowd.
- Railways made a total of 241 in their innings.
- Navdeep Saini and Sumit Mathur each took three wickets for Delhi.
New Delhi, Jan 30 (NationPress) On a day when fans gathered in droves at the Arun Jaitley Stadium to witness their local hero Virat Kohli make his return to domestic cricket, wicketkeeper-batter Upendra Yadav earned accolades by scoring an impressive 95 on Day One of the Ranji Trophy match on Thursday.
With selector Ajay Ratra present, Upendra took charge on a greenish pitch, showcasing both solid defence and careful shot selection to compile a fantastic 95 off 177 balls, featuring ten fours and a six. He formed a crucial partnership of 104 with Karn Sharma, who contributed a fifty off 106 balls, and added 59 with Himanshu Sangwan, who scored a valuable 29, propelling Railways to 241 in 67.4 overs. For Delhi, pacer Navdeep Saini and spinner Sumit Mathur each took three wickets, while fast bowlers Siddhant Sharma and Money Grewal claimed two wickets apiece.
At the end of the day's play, Delhi stood at 41/1 in 10 overs, trailing Railways by 200 runs, with Yash Dhull and Sanat Sangwan unbeaten on 17 and 9 respectively. Opting to bowl first on a green surface, Delhi made an early breakthrough as Siddhant Sharma trapped Anchit Yadav lbw in the second over.
The left-arm pacer then induced a top edge from Suraj Ahuja's pull against a short ball, which resulted in a catch at mid-wicket, confirmed as a fair delivery by the third umpire. Navdeep Saini thrilled the crowd by sending Vivek Singh's off-stump flying, as the left-hander fell for a 14-ball duck.
In the midst of this, an enthusiastic fan dashed from the North Stand to touch Kohli's feet during the 12th over and was quickly escorted away by security. Kohli, positioned at second slip, signalled to security not to harm the fan. Money Grewal captured an outside edge off Mohammad Saif, but the third umpire ruled it a no-ball due to the pacer overstepping.
However, Grewal struck in the 20th over, having Saif caught behind by keeper Pranav Rajvanshi and then trapping Bhargav Merai lbw for a golden duck, leaving Railways at 66/5. The crowd buzzed, sensing a quick start to Delhi's batting innings, eager to see Kohli in action.
Yet, Upendra, a part of the India A setup, along with Karn, who has experience in the Indian team and IPL, managed to guide Railways to 87/5 at lunch. With batting conditions improving slightly during the afternoon session, Upendra and Karn displayed determination to withstand Delhi's formidable pace attack.
Upendra, solid in defence and calculated in his strokeplay, achieved his half-century without raising his bat in acknowledgment, fully aware that the task was not finished yet.
Conversely, Karn adeptly employed his wrists to play against Delhi's spinners and reached his fifty in 104 balls, hitting a well-timed six over fine-leg off Saini. In pursuit of another maximum, Karn attempted a big shot but fell to a spectacular relay catch by Yash Dhull in the deep. Kohli was the first to commend Dhull for his exceptional catch, igniting cheers from the crowd who began chanting 'Kohli, Kohli' repeatedly throughout the day.
One wicket brought another for Saini as Ayan Chaudhari was dismissed for a golden duck, followed by Himanshu Sangwan, who narrowly escaped a hat-trick ball, as Railways reached 182/7 at tea.
In the final session, Upendra became more aggressive while rotating the strike effectively. Sangwan showcased his batting prowess by hitting Shivam Sharma for consecutive sixes. Upendra was on track for a century but fell five runs short, dancing down the pitch to hit Sumit over long-off, only to be caught out for 95.
Sumit concluded Railways' innings by dismissing Sangwan for 29 and cleaning up Rahul Sharma for a duck, ending Railways' innings at 67.4 overs. With 40 minutes left in the day, opener Arpit Rana fell for 10 after edging to the keeper off Kunal Yadav. Dhull and Sangwan ensured no further damage for Delhi until stumps on a day when Kohli was the highlight for fans.
Brief scores:
Railways 241 all out in 67.4 overs (Upendra Yadav 95, Karn Sharma 50; Sumit Mathur 3-20, Navdeep Saini 3-62) lead Delhi 41/1 in 10 overs (Yash Dhull 17 not out; Kunal Yadav 1-28) by 200 runs
