Ashish Chopra's century bolsters Delhi

At the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, hosts Karnataka would have hoped to restrict the touring Delhi side on the first day. Delhi on the other hand would have been looking to go through the day with some steady batting after they lost the toss and were put in to bat. As it were, neither team could fully accomplish their goal.

Ashish Chopra at the top of the order showed the way with some solid batting. Defying the Karnataka spinners and mediumpacers alike, Chopra compiled a good hundred. His knock was not one of flambouyant stroke making, but rather one of patience and stability. At the other end, he lost his opening partner Ashu Dani (19) pretty early on, but was undeterred. In the company of Gautam Gambhir, Chopra rotated the strike well and pushed the visitors' score on to 172 before Gambhir was run out by Vijay. Gambhir's entertaining knock of 73 off just 116 balls included 9 boundaries.

Gambhir's role as support for Chopra was then ably filled by Virendra Sehwag who has been on the fringe of national reckoning in the recent past. Unlucky to be dismissed just one run short of a fifty, Sehwag wasted no time while he was at the crease. His almost run a ball innings included 7 fours before he became Vadiaraj's second scalp. By this time, Chopra was motoring confidently on and Delhi were in a position of reasonable safety.

Akash Malhotra (1) was the only Delhi man who did not get going. When Chopra (101) fell soon after he reached his century, Mithun Minhas (39 not out) and wicket keeper captain Vijay Dahiya (10 not out) were at the crease. Delhi were 308/5. With only 8 points so far, Delhi will be keen to get a positive result from this game and pip Karnataka (11 points) to the post.