Madhya Pradesh and Delhi will fight for the Take Sports All India Buchi Babu tournament title when the two sides meet in the final here at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground starting on Friday.
The two sides took contrasting ways to reach the summit clash, with Delhi posting outright wins in its last league match against Jammu & Kashmir and in the semifinals against Chhattisgarh.
Madhya Pradesh meanwhile, won its opening fixture against Baroda before edging ahead on the first-innings lead in the second league game against Haryana and likewise against TNCA XI in the last four.
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The two sides have shown the ability to turn things around from challenging situations, like when MP forced a result against Baroda after conceding the first-innings lead.
The team has not relied on one individual batter with as many as four centurions doing the job so far. In the bowling department, spinners Adheer Pratap Singh and Sagar Solanki scalped five-fors in the triumph against Baroda in the fourth innings.
For Delhi, skipper Himmat Singh set the foundation for the tournament with a sensational unbeaten 232 along with Jonty Sidhu’s 121 in reply to Mumbai’s mammoth first-innings total - 619 for seven declared.
The match ended with neither team taking the first innings lead as Delhi finished on 529 for eight, ensuring each team took one point. Off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen has been the best bowler with 13 scalps.
While both sides are evenly matched, MP will feel it has an edge as it looks more consistent. At the same time, Delhi’s batting collapse in the third innings (80 all out) against Chhattisgarh in the semifinals showed an area of vulnerability.
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