It were these little games that kept the interest up on an extremely one-sided day until the Mumbai-Delhi match reached its logical conclusion 18 minutes after tea.

In two sessions since play started on Wednesday, Mumbai scored at more than four an over and raced to 468 for four in 114 overs before declaring, as the teams agreed to call off the game. Visiting skipper Wasim Jaffer failed in his own target — he had said he would love to bat the entire day, but was cleaned up two short of his century in the first session — but he would have been mighty pleased with the three points his team picked up for the first innings lead as well as the bruised egos they left behind.

Power-packed Kukreja

With no pressure of forcing a result, Jaffer’s opening partner Sahil Kukreja allowed his natural instincts to take over. The 23-year-old had spent an entire year waiting for a big one after being dismissed at 199 against the same side at Wankhede last season. Today, there was no letting up as the right-hander slammed his maiden double-hundred and career-best innings in a dominant display of off-side strength, hammering an unbeaten 229.

Severe on anything wide, Kukreja’s transition from overnight 77 to his hundred was quick — he got there in 154 balls with 18 fours, while his double ton was laced with 29 boundaries. He was involved in an unfinished fifth-wicket partnership worth 118 runs with wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant, who helped himself to a half-century. The only batsmen to miss out as Delhi dished out some pedestrian fare from their mainstream bowlers were Amol Muzumdar and Hiken Shah.

The latter got a leading edge straight to mid-wicket off Chetnya Nanda — the leg spinner’s only success in the innings after he pleaded for one more over in a marathon 23 over spell. Awana, at the other end, had got the ball to reverse a bit to send Muzumdar’s stump flying. This was after Ajinkya Rahane, looking bored, tried an adventurous shot off seamer Sumit Narhwal to be caught at extra cover just before lunch.

Wanted: Form from Chopra

Delhi languish in the pits of Group A after three rounds — the defending champions are on five points from three games. As they search for two outright wins and a first innings lead in the remaining four games, they desperately need a big knock form one of their batsmen.

Skipper Aakash Chopra, in his own mission of an image makeover, has played aggressively, but right now Delhi require him to revert to his old, effective style. Delhi’re the only big team yet to get a five-wicket haul from any of its bowlers or a century from any of its batsmen — the highest individual scores being Rajat Bhatia’s 99 and Mithun Manhas’s 98.

By tradition, defending champions have struggled the next year to fend off relegation, and after a string of poor performance by Delhi, the trend looks to continue.