Little interest

There were some interesting phases, like when the Delhi bowlers sent back Nilesh Modi and Priyank Panchal early, the senior Patels in Gujarat side — skipper Parthiv and deputy Niraj — hung on till lunch.

Niraj fell five short of his 50, caught and bowled by Chetnya Nanda, but Parthiv crossed the milestone before edging one from Narhwal after Delhi claimed the second new ball. Bhavik Thaker and Ishwar Chaudhary, took Gujarat for 259/6 in 104 overs.

Chopra has handled captaincy well so far. But with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir unavailable because of national duty, he needs to lead from the front with his bat as well, which brings us back to where it started — runs.

Meanwhile, match referee Sunil Gudge found Narhwal guilty of showing dissent after his dismissal, under clause 1.7 of the players’ code, but let him off with a warning.