Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Delhi record 77-run win over Maharashtra but Shikhar Dhawan's poor form continues

Surat: Opener Shikhar Dhawan’s lean patch continued but Delhi still managed to register a comfortable 77-run win over Maharashtra in their opening Super League match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament on Thursday. Delhi made 167 for five after being invited to bat and produced a disciplined bowling effort to bundle out Maharashtra for 90 in 17.2 overs. Part-time off-spinner Nitish Rana stole the show with the ball with figures of four for 17. [caption id=“attachment_7324711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Shikhar Dhawan. AFP[/caption] But the spotlight was clearly on Dhawan (24 off 22 balls) after Delhi were put into bat at the C B Patel Ground, and the left-handed opener started well in the company of Hiten Dalal (16 off 13 balls) as the duo put on 44 for the opening stand in 5.3 overs. Dhawan looked in good touch, hammering two fours and a six during his brief stay but yet again he threw away his wicket. Dhawan was dismissed by off-break bowler Shamshuzama Kazi in the seventh over as Delhi lost two quick wickets to slump to 44 for two. One down Anuj Rawat (10) too fell cheaply but skipper Dhruv Shorey (48 not out in 37 balls) resurrected the innings first in the company of Rana (21) and then Himmat Singh (32). Shorey stitched 32 and 37-run partnerships for the fourth and fifth wicket respectively with Rana and Singh. Shorey hit five fours and a six during his knock to take Delhi close to the 170-run mark. Maharashtra’s chase never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals to fold inside 100 runs. Barring young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (42), not other Maharashtra batsmen could manage double digit scores. Besides Rana, Simarjeet Singh (1/14), Lalit Yadav (1/20), Varun Sood (1/15) and Pranshu Vijayran (1/12) were the other wicket takers for Delhi. Dhawan, meanwhile, suffered an injury on his left knee during fielding and had to taken to a hospital for medical attention. He later posted a picture of a bandaged left knee on his twitter page but looked in jovial mood. Dhawan, however, hinted that he would be back in action after for four-five days. “We Fall, We Break, but then…We Rise. We heal and we overcome, and the only thing you have control over is how you respond to any situation. Here’s to being positive and happy in every situation that life throws at you, Will be back in action in 4-5 days,” he tweeted. Brief Scores: Delhi 167/5 (Dhruv Shorey 48 not out, Himmat Singh 32; Shamshuzama Kazi 2-20) beat Maharashtra 90 all out (Ruturaj Gaikwad 42, Digvijay Deshmukh 9; Nitish Rana 4-17) by 77 runs.