It was difficult to pick one as the stand-out performer — Parvinder Awana, Ravindra Jadeja or Shikhar Dhawan. Awana’s five-wicket haul uprooted the Saurashtra middle-order on Monday, Jadeja’s counter-attacking 143 from 166 balls gave a bit of hope to the hosts, and Shikhar Dhawan’s outrageous hitting helped hunt down the 4.8 runs-an-over target of 132 with ridiculous ease, extending Delhi’s defending champions tag at least until the last league match.

Together, the trio staged an entertaining final day’s play as Delhi also took a bonus point with their 10-wicket victory.

Dhawan seemed to develop a special liking for Balakrishna Jadeja’s steady left-arm seam, carting him for big sixes and four boundaries in a three-over opening spell that cost 34 runs. Jolted by the sheer audacity of the Delhi run chase — they raised 77 in the first 10 overs — Saurashtra contributed to Dhawan’s 29-ball half-century with needless overthrows, full tosses and short-pitched deliveries.

The skipper-deputy duo became cautious towards the end, but when the opening pair had walked out in the fourth innings, they had little options but to go for the offensive with 27 overs left in the match.

Jadeja leads fightback

Ravindra Jadeja had opted for that attitude earlier in the afternoon. The left-hander arrived in the middle of a superlative spell from Awana with the old ball. With Saurashtra five down, Jadeja led the fightback, hitting anything banged short or wide, picking up maximum runs on the off-side with his delectable backfoot play as he put on 87 runs with Sagar Jogiyani.

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