Sanjeet desai

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International: Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini (3-36) delivered a fiery spell on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D clash against Chhattisgarh at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here on Monday but a patient knock from Ajay Mandal (57 not out off 94 balls) ensured the match ended in a draw, with Delhi taking home three points by virtue of their first-innings lead.

Resuming on 33 without loss, Chhattisgarh found themselves under early pressure as Saini struck swiftly. Ayush Pandey, who had previously taken Saini apart with 22 runs off a single over in the first innings, tried to reignite the duel by flicking him to deep mid-wicket. But Saini hit back immediately, trapping Pandey with a yorker before bowling him out with a sharp delivery that forced an inside edge onto the stumps.

Pandey's dismissal brought Ashutosh Singh to the crease alongside opener Eknath Kerkar, but Saini was relentless. He claimed a simple caught-and-bowled chance off Kerkar, and six balls later, top-scorer Sanjeet Desai from the first innings nicked one to wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat off Himanshu Chouhan. With Chhattisgarh reeling, Delhi smelled blood.