Attacking innings from Sehwag and Gambhir help Delhi chase 175 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The marauding pair of Sehwag and Gambhir helped chase down a stiff target

Delhi rode on the back of swashbuckling innings from the erstwhile Indian opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag to chase down a target of 175 and beat Punjab at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Sehwag, who has run into some good form recently with explosive innings for MCC and Delhi, combined with Gambhir to put on a 78-run opening stand in just 6.4 overs for Delhi before Gambhir departed, after having made 40 in just 25 balls. Sehwag continued his rampage as he went on to score 67 in a mere 35 deliveries.

The Nawab of Najafgarh took the Punjab bowlers on and dispatched them to every corner of the Mohali stadium in an innings that included 13 boundaries. Delhi batsman Sumit Narwal, who accompanied Sehwag after the fall of Gambhir’s wicket, also made a quick-fire 42 off just 23-balls to take the team home with 10 balls remaining and 6-wickets in hand.

Earlier in the day, Punjab openers Manan Vohra and Manpreet Singh got Punjab off to a great start by adding 59 runs in under 6 overs. Vohra was the chief aggressor as he played a stroke-filled knock of 41 in 22 balls. Punjab kept losing wickets at regular intervals after the fall of Vohra in the 6th over but managed to set a challenging target of 175 nevertheless thanks to Gurkeerat Singh and Himanshu Chawla who played middle-order cameos for the Punjab side.

Ishant Sharma and Parwinder Awana picked up two wickets each for Delhi.

The win took Delhi to 12 points, level with Haryana at the top of North Zone standings, eight points ahead of the rest.

Brief Scores:

Punjab 174-7 in 20 overs (Manan Vohra 41, Mandeep Singh 36, Ishant Sharma 2-37)

Delhi 178-4 in 18.2 overs (Virender Sehwag 67, Sumit Narwal 42, Rahul Sharma 2-38)