Skipper Ajay Jadeja helped Delhi overcome a middle order collapse and guided them to 394 in the first innings with a well-crafted innings of 93 on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Elite division Group 'A' tie against hosts Mumbai on Saturday.
The former India batsman rescued the visitors after they lost three quick wickets to the second new ball this morning, having resumed at the overnight score of 166 for three.
Jadeja, with Sarandeep Singh, pulled Delhi out of a tight spot after they were reduced to 225 for 6.
The Delhi captain, who was unlucky to miss a well deserved ton after batting for close to three and a half hours and hitting 12 fours and 2 sixes, put on 84 runs with Sarandeep Singh (30) for the seventh wicket.
Jadeja got out when he chased a wide ball and edged medium pacer Usman Malvi, Mumbai's most successful bowler with four wickets in his kitty, behind. In all he faced 141 balls.
Ashish Nehra used the long handle to good effect to strike some mighty blows in making an unbeaten 41 off 87 balls with 6 fours and a six to boost the Delhi total considerably after Jadeja's departure at 333.
Delhi were all out 44 minutes after tea and in the remaining time Mumbai made 32 for no loss in 12 overs.
The stiff breeze that swirled inside the stadium throughout helped Mumbai medium pacers move the second new ball appreciably and strike three quick blows in the morning.
Mumbai captain Nilesh Kulkarni summoned the new ball as soon as it was due with Delhi on 187 for three and the visitors lost Chopra, overnight 45, when Malvi got him to edge to wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant.
Chopra faced 44 balls this morning, and his 276-minute essay contained six fours.
Delhi lost Bhatia at the same score of 192 in the very next over. The batsman was bowled by Wilkin Mota for 11. The rookie Mumbai medium pacer then removed Vinay Kumar after the visitors added 33 runs, Samant taking the catch again.
But Sarandeep showed good defence and stood steadfast at one end to help Jadeja, who was let off by Mane off Malvi in the slips when on 10, repair the damage.
The two batsmen were comfortable against the Mumbai spinners with Jadeja lofting Ramesh Powar for two big sixes during his innings.
Sarandeep fell to a catch at leg slip when Mota bowled round the wicket. Jadeja was baited with a wide ball when in sight of his hundred by Malvi and had a go at it only to snick it to Samant behind the wicket.
It was then the turn of Nehra, who hit Powar for a six and also hit six fours, to boost Delhi's total.
He did it mainly in the company of Rahul Sanghvi as the duo added 52 runs for the ninth wicket before the latter became one of the two late victims claimed by Kulkarni.
Scorecard:
Delhi 1st innings (overnight 166-3):
S Dhawan c Jaffer b Malvi 13
G Gambhir c Jaffer b Powar 27
A Chopra c Samant b Malvi 51
M Manhas c Samant b Malvi 74
R Bhatia b Mota 11
A Jadeja c Samant b Malvi 93
V Kumar c Samant b Mota 14
Sarandeep Singh c Mane b Mota 30
A Nehra not out 41
R Sanghvi c Mane b Kulkarni 13
A Bhandari c Indulkar b Kulkarni 1
Extras (b 1, lb 10, w 2, nb 8, p 5) 26
Total (all out, in 150.2 overs, 648 mins) 394
Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-45, 3-166, 4-192, 5-192, 6-225, 7-309, 8-333, 9-385.
Bowling: Malvi 33-8-90-4, Mota 31.2-10-87-3, Powar 37-7-109-1, Kulkarni 34.2-8-67-2, Thakkar 4-2-6-0, Shetty 8.4-1-12-0, Mane 2-0-7-0.
Mumbai 1st innings:
V Mane batting 14
W Jaffer batting 15
Extras (nb 3) 3
Total (for no loss in 12 overs) 32
Bowling: Nehra 5-1-8-0, Bhandari 3-0-15-0, Sarandeep Singh 3-0-5-0, Sanghvi 1-0-4-0.
