Unmukt guides Delhi to final

Unmukt Chand again showed his ability to rise to the occasion as his stroke-filled century guided Delhi into the final of the NKP Salve Challenger series with a thumping 112-run win over India Red in the last round robin league match here on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s side will meet Yuvraj Singh’s India Blue in the final of the tournament. Courtesy Unmukt’s 119 and Kohli’s useful 63, Delhi piled up a huge 342/6 in 50 overs after being put in to bat. Milind Kumar with a 52-ball-57 and Rajat Bhatia with an unbeaten 19-ball-40 also beefed up the score in the end. In reply, India Red were all-out for 230 in 40.1 overs with only Gurkeerat Singh (83) making an effort to resist the inevitable. While veteran seamer Ashish Nehra (4/38) provided early breakthroughs, left-arm spinner Varun Sood (5/84) took vital wickets in the middle-order. The day belonged 20-year-old Unmukt who faced 131 balls hitting 12 boundaries and three sixes. Senior pro Virender Sehwag (8) failed today while Gautam Gambhir (20) continued his woeful form the county circuit. However Kohli was at his fluent self as he hit 63 off only 55 balls with five fours and two sixes — one each of off-spinner Yusuf Pathan and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. At the other end, Unmukt launched into India pacer Umesh Yadav (9-0-85-1), who had a horrible day in office, spraying the ball all over the place. He played some flowing cover drives but was also not afraid to play the lofted stroke. He hoicked Abhimanyu Mithun for couple of sixes — one over mid-wicket while the other was straight over bowler’s head. Sandeep Warrier who bowled a tight line initially wasn’t spared either as he was slashed over extra cover for a six. The Unmukt-Kohli duo added 93 runs for the second wicket before the Delhi skipper was stumped by Smit Patel trying to hit a second successive six off Nadeem. The Jharkhand slow bowler managed to hold his own with figures of 2/54 from 12 overs, as others leaked runs. Once Kohli was gone and Sehwag had followed suit, it was Milind who joined Unmukt as the duo added 120 runs in 17.3 overs before both were dismissed. Milind hit five fours and a six during his knock. It was then left to Bhatia (40 no, 19 balls, 3x4, 3x6) to take the score near 350 with some lusty blows towards the fag end of the innings. India Red started badly as Robin Uthappa (7) was dismissed trying to flick Nehra over square leg. Patel played to a wrong line off a Nehra delivery to get bowled. Abhinav Mukund (64) tried to resurrect the innings but consumed 87 deliveries in the process.