Ranji Trophy 2017: Delhi build on patient Nitish Rana and fiery Ishant Sharma’s efforts against Maharashtra

Nitish Rana made 174. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

On a pleasant winter afternoon, as aeroplanes whizzed over the Air Force Sports Complex in Palam, Maharashtra innings came to a crash. In a must-win Ranji Trophy encounter against Delhi, their batsmen wilted under a hostile spell from Ishant Sharma. On a Palam track that had uneven bounce, Sharma ran through Maharashtra’s inept top-order, scalping three crucial blows in a splendid six-over burst that left the visitors gasping at 59/8 in pursuit of Delhi’s 419 at the end of the second day’s play.

With searing pace and the steep bounce, Sharma intimidated the Maharashtra openers, scalping both Rituraj Gaikwad and Murtaza Trunkwala in his first two overs. He got ample support from his new-ball ally Navdeep Saini, who accounted for Ankit Bawne and Rohit Motwani in quick succession. Sharma ended the day with figures of 6-2-14-3, once again illustrating how invaluable his presence is to this Delhi team.

His spell on Saturday assumes larger significance as Sharma was certain to miss this game as he was drafted into India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka. However, since he did not find a place in the playing XI in the Eden Gardens Test, he was released by the Indian team management, just in time to be available for this fixture. Sharma has 18 scalps from his four Ranji games this season, and judging by the manner in which he bowled on Saturday, this was the kind of incision Virat Kohli’s team sorely missed at the Eden Gardens on the third day.

Sharma’s burst in the afternoon session did not, in any way, dwarf the stellar contribution made by Nitish Rana, an elegant left-hander who has quickly gone on to become one of Delhi’s middle-order mainstays. The 23-year-old, who resumed unbeaten on 110 this morning, continued his rich vein of form. Batting with the lower-order, he took charge of Delhi’s innings. He was poised to reach his maiden double, but perished for 174 — his highest score in first-class cricket. By then, Delhi had comfortably crossed the 400-run mark. His marathon knock lasted 264 balls, in which he stroked 18 fours and four sixes.

Rana already has two centuries this season, quite a dramatic shift in his fortunes compared to his last two seasons where he impressed with some handsome half-centuries, but couldn’t convert those. Last year, a dismayed Rana went up to senior batsman Gautam Gambhir and sought advice. “Why am I getting out on 50s and 70s?” he asked. Gambhir’s reply changed his perception towards batting forever.”Gauti bhaiyya told me, ‘when you play U-16, U-19 or U-23 levels, you get maximum one quality bowler. So you can afford a break in concentration. However, in Ranji there are at least five quality bowlers. You will have to concentrate for longer periods,’” Rana explained.

It was back to the drawing board for the youngster. At the end of his debut season in 2016, he would spend hours at the nets, concentrating on what deliveries to hit and what to leave. In essence, it helped him unclutter his mind — allowing him to think about only the delivery he would next face. The IPL stint with Mumbai too helped him evolve. Playing with a plethora of international stars quelled his fears about playing in the top league, while it also helped him hone his technique.

Of his four centuries in the Ranji Trophy so far, this would probably rank as his finest. On Day 1, he walked in with Delhi in a spot of bother. But he dug deep and forged a splendid 168-run alliance for the fourth wicket with his good friend Rishabh Pant. His knock amply demonstrated his high concentration levels. When Rana was around, batting looked simple. It was only when the Maharashtra’s batsmen began to flounder, did one truly understand the tacky nature of the track. Rana typically summed up his efforts. “Bahut tough wicket tha. (But) I’m used to playing on such type of wickets while growing up in Delhi. Uneven bounce, awkward turn… low bounce,” he added. On Saturday, he conquered it all.

Brief Scores: Delhi 419 (Nitish Rana 174, Rishabh Pant 99; Satyajeet Bachhav 4/87) vs Maharashtra 59/8 (Naushad Shaikh 24, Ishant Sharma 3/14)