Nitish Rana, pacers put Delhi on top against Punjab

Nitish Rana made a gritty 92 before pacers reduced Punjab to 44 for four in their second innings to put Delhi in a strong position on day three of their Ranji Trophy match here on Sunday. Not many gave Delhi a chance against table leaders Punjab going into the match but the Dhruv Shorey-led squad has upped its game.

After Shorey's 96 on day two, Rana (92 off 189) batted sensibly alongside Jonty Sidhu (41) to take Delhi past Punjab's first innings score of 313. Lalit Yadav (39) also made a crucial lower-order contribution as Delhi ended their first innings at 339.

After a spirited showing with the bat, pacers extended Delhi's advantage, especially the young Simarjeet Singh who continues to impress in his second first-class season. He removed Sanvir Singh (11) before removing the in-form Gurkeerat Singh Mann (15).

Opener Shubman Gill (4), who courted controversy in the first innings by arguing with the on-field umpire, failed for the second time in the game. The India batsman was dismissed by Subodh Bhati in the third over. Punjab captain and first innings' top-scorer Mandeep Singh was in the middle on 8 when stumps were drawn. Punjab lead by just 18 runs going into day four.

Brief Scores: Punjab 313 and 44/4 in 13 overs vs Delhi 339 all out in 115.5 overs (Shorey 96, Rana 92; Markande 3/77).

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