At roughly 11.50 a.m. on Saturday, Manan Vohra and Shivam Bhambri raised their bats in the direction of the dressing rooms and screamed in delight.
As their shouts of ‘Come on! Come on!’ reverberated around the GMSSS ground in Sector 26 here, there was no mistaking how much this moment meant to Chandigarh — a resounding win over Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, its third in a row, has strengthened its grip atop the standings in Group D with 19 points in four matches and taken it closer to a quarterfinal berth for the first time in its five-year existence.
For context, this was a team that had just survived relegation to the Plate division after finishing with six points, two more than bottom-placed Goa, in Group C last season.
Resuming the fourth day on 46 for no loss, with another 157 runs to get, Chandigarh was the clear favourite to emerge on top in this contest. But by hurtling to the target of 203 at a run rate of 5.06 with nine wickets in hand, the host made things look far more straightforward than it should have been on a turning pitch.
Bhambri was the star with the bat, notching up a century in the final stages of the game with a six over mid-on off Hrithik Shokeen. He had also made 80 in the first innings, and pipped left-arm spinner Nishunk Birla, who took 12 wickets in the game, for the Player of the Match award.
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Bhambri’s unbeaten 100, off 130 balls, comprised six maximums, an attestation to his big-hitting ability against the spinners in particular.
Vohra’s presence at the end was also fitting. The 31-year-old has been the captain from Chandigarh’s inaugural 2019-20 season when it was added to the fold by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It was in the Plate group then and is now probably another win away from clinching a last-eight spot in the Elite category.
“To be honest, I was not pointing towards the Delhi camp (while celebrating),” Vohra told Sportstar. “As a team, in the last five years, we have gone through very tough times, to be honest. We have always been struggling and saving ourselves from relegation. Now, we won the last two games and then to beat Delhi, the aggression, and everything that was inside for the last five years, is coming out after victory.”
Vohra reserved special praise for Birla’s efforts, for the left-arm bowler derived much more from the spin-friendly surface than Delhi’s tweakers.
“There has been a turnaround. The hard work is finally paying off this season. A couple of U-19 guys have come up the ranks. There’s Nishunk who has got 28 wickets. He has been bowling extremely well.”
And for his own contributions, though a tally of 215 runs in seven innings at an average of 43 may not stand out, the top-order batter has been playing the role of a senior figure to perfection.
“It is pretty satisfying. I was playing for Punjab. Five years ago, I got an opportunity with Chandigarh. And then I was given this command to lead the team. Since then, I have been visualising this team doing well and winning. We are on the right track. I am very satisfied with the way we are growing as a team. There is no end to this now.”
It is perhaps difficult to believe now that Chandigarh’s campaign began with an 181-run defeat to Railways at home around a month back. “When we won against Assam in Guwahati, the belief started growing. And then to beat Jharkhand with a bonus point was a huge plus. Jharkhand is a formidable side,” Chandigarh coach Ravikant Sharma, who was with the U-19 boys last season, said.
“We broke down this game into key moments and said we have to win them. Day three was a fine example. We only got one wicket in the opening session, but I sat down with Manan and said we have to be calm. It is about belief. The boys have trusted me, and I have given them independence.”
With Saurashtra visiting in four days time, Chandigarh hopes to sustain this intensity for another round before the First-Class campaign takes a pause for the white-ball tournaments.
“Before this game, we were not thinking of quarters. But we are on 19 points now. Usually, teams with 24 or 25 points qualify,” Vohra said. “Still, I need to stop getting excited and get back to business soon. The next game is against Saurashtra. That is going to be a tough task. Just want to go day by day.”
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