Wicketkeeper batsman Anuj Rawat's stroke-filled hundred gave Delhi a slim chance of an outright win after Gujarat got the all-important first innings lead in the Ranji Trophy group A encounter here on Thursday.
In reply to Delhi's 293, Gujarat scored 335 after starting the day at 269 for 4 with Manprit Juneja (124, 190 balls) and Dhruv Raval (94)'s 221-run stand for the fifth wicket proving crucial in a 42-run lead.
However left-handed Anuj, a former India U19 captain, then took the attack back to the opposition camp with a superb 133 off 194 balls that had 15 fours and two sixes.
Delhi ended the day at 228 for four with a lead of 186 runs going into the final day.
While the chances of an outright win on a good batting track might not be more than 25 percent but Anuj's innings certainly gave Delhi a glimmer of hope if they can get a lead of 275 by lunch and get 60 overs at opposition.
"That's the plan. The wicket is good for batting but it is slightly up and down at times. But yes, bowlers need to bend their backs," said the student of Rajkumar Sharma, who is also Virat Kohli's coach.
The feature of Rawat's innings was the punch in his drives as he was severe on pacer A Nagwaswalla (1/62).
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He also hooked pacer Chintan Gaja for a six and a pulled one off Axar Patel. He added 106 with Jonty Sidhu (48) for the fourth wicket stand before being holed out trying to hit Rujul Bhatt.
With India's keeping cupboard in red ball cricket bare, Rawat could soon become a serious India A prospect with his stamina (85 plus overs of keeping and 63 plus overs of batting) and skill set.
Brief Scores
In Delhi: Delhi 293 and 228/4 (Anuj Rawat 133, Jonty Sidhu 48). Gujarat 335 (Manprit Juneja 124, Dhruv Raval 94).
In Jaipur:
Rajasthan 241 and 201 (Nilkantha Das 4/26). Bengal 123 and (target 320) 185/4 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 62, Koushik Ghosh 64). Bengal need 135 to win.
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