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Baroda fights back

Special Correspondent

INDORE: Rakesh Solanki and Yusuf Pathan chose different ways to foil Delhi’s designs and help brighten Baroda’s prospects in Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Usha Raje cricket Stadium here on Monday.

At stumps on the third day, Baroda was 281 for six in its second innings.

With two days to go, Baroda is 209 runs ahead with four wickets in hand.

Importantly, Pathan is eager to resume the 61-ball blitzkrieg that has so far yielded 86 runs (3 x 6, 13 x 4).

Attacking game

Things seemed to be going Delhi’s way when Baroda lost its fifth wicket to the first delivery after tea at 160. At this stage, Baroda was only 88 runs ahead.

But in walked the strongly-built Pathan and almost single-handedly changed the course of the game with his attacking game.

His ruthless counter-attack was instrumental in Baroda adding 121 runs in 23 overs in the two-hour post tea session.

The 25-year-old Pathan dominated the 118-run sixth wicket stand by scoring 85 runs.

Pathan hit a six each of spinners Chetnya Nanda and Aditya Jain before Delhi took the second new ball.

It made no difference to Pathan who smashed 14 runs, including a six, off one over from medium pacer Sumit Narwal.

Resuming the day at eight without loss, Baroda took time to recover from the early exits of its overnight not-out openers Connor Williams and Satyajit Parab.

The 22-year-old Solanki, however, was extremely unlucky to be declared leg-before for 96 in what turned out to be the day’s final over. .

The scores:

Baroda — 1st innings: 199

Delhi — 1st innings: 271

Baroda — 2nd innings: Satyajit Parab b Awana 11, Connor Williams c Bisht b Awana 0, Azhar Bilakhia b Bhatia 17, Rakesh Solanki lbw b Bhatia 96, Shatrunjay Gaekwad c & b Awana 46, Pinal Shah b Nanda 15, Yusuf Pathan (batting) 86, Rajesh Pawar (batting) 2, Extras (b-5, lb-2, nb-1) 8, Total (for six wickets in 86 overs) 281.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-12, 3-56, 4-135, 5-160, 6-278.

Delhi bowling: Bhandari 16-5-45-0, Narwal 21-7-61-0, Awana 15-0-63-3, Bhatia 7-1-20-2, Nanda 18-4-53-1, Manhas 7-0-13-0, Jain 2-0-19-0.

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