Virat Kohli is in murderous form. He is butchering attacks, and on Saturday it was Haryana's turn to bear the brunt of his ire. Kohli smashed his third ton of the tournament to ensure an easy 139-run win for Delhi. Kohli is inherently an aggressive batsman and scores at a quick pace, but what he did on Saturday was just spectacular. He hammered a sizzling 82-ball 124, studded with nine boundaries and seven sixes, to propel Delhi to an intimidating total of 364, and effectively finish the contest before Haryana could begin the chase.
Kohli brought up his half century in 52 balls. But shifted a couple of gears soon after, plundering his next 74 runs in just 30 balls, smashing seven sixes and four boundaries to leave the Haryana bowlers in tatters. He tore into every bowler and sprayed sixes all over the ground.
But before Kohli got down to business, openers Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan had already laid down a solid foundation for the eventual huge edifice with a 114-run stand. Dhawan finally got going and played some gorgeous drives and pulls. He looked good for much more when he played a one bad shot to perish at 65. Obviously upset at his dismissal, Dhawan he smashed his bat on a chair, breaking the chair into two parts on his way back to the pavilion.
Chopra didn't let his composure waver and shared a valuable partnership with Kohli. The Delhi skipper continued from where he left against Himachal, picking up quite a few boundaries with his immaculate touch. He looked well on his way to his second hundred when he holed out for 75. Haryana, to their credit, began on a positive note, gathering 76 runs for the first wicket at a reasonably good rate. But then it was just a matter of time before the pressure of chasing a mountain of runs got to them, and they crumbled like a house of cards to succumb at 225, offering Delhi a huge win with a bonus point.
{{/usCountry}}Chopra didn't let his composure waver and shared a valuable partnership with Kohli. The Delhi skipper continued from where he left against Himachal, picking up quite a few boundaries with his immaculate touch. He looked well on his way to his second hundred when he holed out for 75. Haryana, to their credit, began on a positive note, gathering 76 runs for the first wicket at a reasonably good rate. But then it was just a matter of time before the pressure of chasing a mountain of runs got to them, and they crumbled like a house of cards to succumb at 225, offering Delhi a huge win with a bonus point.
{{/usCountry}}Dhawan warned
Shikhar Dhawan had a narrow escape when he was let off with a warning by the match referee for his act of indiscipline. The Delhi opener smashed a chair into two while on his way to the dressing room after being dismissed for 65. Match referee Sarabjit Singh summoned Dhawan for a hearing, but let him off with a warning after he apologised.