In an unforgettable David versus Goliath tale in cricket, Puducherry has emerged as the defiant underdog by delivering a jaw-dropping blow to seven-time Ranji Trophy champions Delhi. The Ranji Trophy season commenced with a shocker at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, where the hosts, captained by Yash Dhull, faced an unexpected thrashing at the hands of Fabid Ahmed-led Puducherry. But it was pace sensation Gaurav Yadav whose heroics paved the way for a sensational nine-wicket victory for the visitors in the Group D encounter.
The day started with an air of expectancy, the Delhi team stacked with seasoned players and adorned with their illustrious cricketing history. However, from the very beginning, Gaurav Yadav, the newcomer to the Puducherry squad, sank the high spirits of the home team with an exceptional exhibition of pace bowling. He erupted onto the scene with seven critical wickets, rattling Delhi to fold for a mere 148 runs, despite a fighting 34 by the number 8 all-rounder.
Puducherry stepped in to answer with the bat and produced a confident performance, tallying a total of 244 runs. The visitors’ batting might didn’t just reflect on the scoreboard but psychologically dented the hosts by securing a substantial lead of 94 runs. Confidence was high in the Puducherry camp as they showed the grit to take charge of the game.
With the baton passed back to Delhi, it seemed all set for them to mount a comeback. However, the Puducherry bowlers, led by the indefatigable Gaurav Yadav, had other plans. Yadav, a recent transfer from Madhya Pradesh where he contributed significantly to their Ranji Trophy final win in 2022, continued his relentless attack. In a fiery display of bowling in the second innings, he added five more wickets to his tally, this time decimating the largely standing lower order.
Playing a supporting role to Yadav’s one-man show was Abin Mathew, who unleashed his own bowling prowess by taking a five-wicket haul in the second innings. This fantastic bowling partnership made short work of the Delhi team, bundling them out for a second time for only 145 runs, even below their first innings’ total.
With merely 51 runs needed to secure a win, Puducherry approached the target determinedly on the fourth day, achieving it with minor scrapes and showing that their game was as robust as their winning spirit. The victory secured six points for Puducherry and propelled them to the top spot in Group D, which also comprises teams like Baroda, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttarakhand.
Puducherry sets their eyes on their next challenge against Baroda, starting January 2nd at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. With this emphatic win under their belt, they have effectively sounded the bugle for other teams in the fray, marking themselves as the ones to watch out for in this season’s Ranji Trophy saga.
