Ranji Trophy: Sehwag's ton props up Delhi

NEW DELHI: Virender Sehwag took some time to get into his elements for Delhi. And now that he has, the bowlers on the domestic circuit can brace for some torment.
Considered to be one of the toughest pitches to bat on in the country, the Chaudhry Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli was Sehwag's playground on Tuesday.
He toyed with the bowling while racing to an unbeaten 147 off 182 balls on the first Day of the Group B Ranji Trophy tie.In the process, he has left Haryana with a lot of catching up to do.
His belligerent hundred, the second in as many innings, rattled the hosts as Delhi sit pretty at 2787 after the first day's play.
Having sent back four top-order Delhi batsmen by lunch with just 50 odd runs on the board, Haryana could have barely imagined what was coming. All thoughts of Sehwag succumbing to the conditions were dismissed as he teamed up with veteran Rajat Bhatia to launch a counter attack.
The Sehwag-Bhatia pair notched up 186 runs in 45 overs before Bhatia (72) lost his stumps to a Harshal Patel delivery that shot across the turf. But the dismissal would have alarmed the hosts more than Delhi.
A couple of chances did do abegging off Sehwag's bat but the 37-year-old was in no mood to take his feet off the accelerator. Haryana must have thought they were bowling on a different strip to Sehwag.
"There is no comparison between the two hundreds he has scored in his last two innings. But the circumstances in which he scored the runs today makes it even more special. He is a lot more comfortable now. This is how you construct a big innings," Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said.
Delhi are looking to add another 60-70 runs on the second morning before the hosts take guard.