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Navdeep Saini. (Instagram/Navdeep Saini)
Day 1 Round-up: Dhruv Shorey scored an unbeaten 123 as Delhi fought back after Vidarbha struck early on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy final in Indore on Friday. Winning the toss and electing to field, Vidarbha made full use of the conditions that assisted seam bowlers as debutant Aditya Thakare dismissed in-form Kunal Chandela in the first over. Gambhir was the next one to depart, after being hurried on by Akshay Wakhare, the ball zipped off the track and hit Gambhir on the pad before clattering onto the stumps. Nitish Rana looked to be in good touch, but then played across the wrong line and missed the ball completely. He was dismissed for 21. In came captain Rishabh Pant and he went for his shots on the tough pitch as Delhi walked into lunch at 89/3. Vidarbha missed a golden opportunity straight after lunch, as confusion between the two batsmen led to both being on the same end but some ordinary fielding saved Delhi. However, Vidarbha didn't have to wait long and it was the hero from the semi-final, Rajneesh Gurbani who dismissed Pant. It was a poor shot from the 20-year-old as he poked at one outside the off stump and could only manage an outside edge. Shorey, meanwhile, continued to wage a lone battle from the other end as he hit some classy boundaries and showed patience. Himmat Singh joined him in the middle and survived a few close calls but wasn't afraid to go for his shots. They were also helped by some rather ordinary bowling from the Vidarbha side. The two quickly stitched together a 100-run partnership to help Delhi cross 200, after being reduced to 99/4. However, just when it seemed they would take the game away from Vidarbha, Gurbani came back to remove Himmat after a well made 66. Soon though, Gurbani was seen limping off the ground clutching his hamstring. Manan Sharma couldn't contribute much but he aided Shorey in completing a memorable fighting ton. This was Shorey's first century of the season and something that he will remember for a long time to come. Delhi finally ended the day at 271/6, with Vikas Mishra giving company to Shorey.