Mohali, Jan 28 (PTI) Stung by scathing criticism, skipper Himmat Singh pulled a beleaguered Delhi from the dungeons with a counter-attacking 194 before Himanshu Chauhan’s four-wicket burst put them on cusp of an improbable victory over Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy here on Sunday.

Having scored 264 for nine in their second innings, Delhi had Uttarakhand on the mat at 95 for six, chasing a target of 173. Uttarakhand need to score 77 on the final day with four wickets in hand.

After being bowled out for 147 in the first innings and then conceding a first-innings lead of 92, Delhi were left stuttering at 11 for five in their second innings with five of the top six back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

But Himmat, considered among the top two batters in the Delhi set-up, took it upon himself, adding 182 for the sixth wicket with keeper-batter Lakshy Thareja (43, 125), who played the second fiddle to perfection.

Himmat, who was batting on 109 after the second day’s play, hit 27 fours and a six, with a lot of shots coming square of the wicket on the off-side.

After Thareja was dismissed, Himmat also added another 30 runs with Hiamnshu (16), who was lethal with the new ball once again.

Chasing a target of 173, it was off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen, who got opener Avneesh Sudha caught by close-in fielder Arpit Rana before Himanshu removed Kunal Chandela (0), Yuvraj Choudhary (0) and Jiwanjot Singh (3) in quick succession.

Uttarakhand were reduced to 15 for 4 before Swapnil Singh (36) and veteran Aditya Tare (36) added 78 for the fifth wicket before Shokeen and Himanshu removed both by end of third day’s play to put Delhi in driver’s seat.

Brief Scores: Delhi 147 and 264/9 d (Himmat Singh 194, Lakshy Thareja 43). Uttarakhand 239 and (target 173) 95/6 (Aditya Tare 36, Himanshu Chauhan 4/19).

Sandeep scores 150 as Odisha set 388-run target for HP Opener Sandeep Pattanaik scored 150 while Anurag Sarangi contributed 70 as Odisha scored 425 for eight in their second innings to set a target of 388 for Himachal Pradesh in another Group D game in Cuttack.

At stumps, HP were 33 for one with 355 runs required on the final day for outright win. HP, however, will want to ensure three points as they had a slender first-innings lead of 38. Odisha scored 138 in first innings while HP scored 176.

Brief Scores: Odisha 138 and 425/8 (Sandeep Pattanaik 150, Rishi Dhawan 3/82). HP 176 and (target 388) 33/1.

J&K get first innings lead of 74 against Baroda At Vadodara, in-form Shivalik Sharma’s 128 couldn’t take hosts Baroda past Jammu and Kashmir’s first-innings score of 457 as they were all out for 383 on the third day. J&K, with a first-innings lead of 74, ended the day at 26 for no loss and there is very little chance of losing the game.

Brief Score: J&K 457 and 26/0. Baroda 1st Innings 383 (Shivalik Sharma 128, Umar Nazir Mir 5/91).

Source: PTI News