Chand century puts Delhi on top

Unmukt Chand carried on from his overnight 87 not out to complete his fifth first-class century, and half-centuries from Mithun Manhas and Sumit Narwal sent Delhi on their way to a declaration with a first-innings lead of 239. In response, Rajasthan lost two wickets and went to stumps needing 161 to avoid a final-day innings defeat.

With fog delaying the start and allowing only 66.3 overs to be played, Delhi scored 179 in 35.3 overs to hasten their declaration and allow themselves both time and a sufficient enough lead to try and force a win.

Delhi began the day on 201 for 3, 60 ahead. Chand and Manhas extended their fourth-wicket stand to 97 before Manhas was bowled by Deepak Chahar for a 74-ball 53. More quick runs came in a 58-run stand between Chand and Rajat Bhatia, off just 73 deliveries, before Chand fell for a 235-ball 146, an innings that included 19 fours and a six. Bhatia followed Chand after the addition of only four runs to Delhi's score, but the momentum wasn't lost, as Narwal struck a 52-ball 59, with five fours and two sixes, before the declaration came at 360 for 6.

Rajasthan lost Vineet Saxena and Robin Bist in the 31 overs that they played, and moved to 78 for 2 at close, with the opener Siddharth Saraf batting on 42.

Abhimanyu Khod's unbeaten 38 enabled Haryana to squeak past Vidarbha's first-innings total of 154 at Lahli, where only the weather - which has permitted only 139.2 overs over three days of play - seems capable of preventing a decisive result. At stumps, Vidarbha were 21 ahead with two wickets down in their second innings.

Resuming on 60 for 2, Haryana lost nightwatchman Mohit Sharma in the fifth over of the morning, before Nitin Saini and Sachin Rana added 34 for the fourth wicket. Rana's wicket began a collapse that saw Haryana lose six wickets for 27 runs. Only a last-wicket stand of 26 between Khod and No. 11 Ashish Hooda - who made a 17-ball 1 - carried Haryana into the lead. Khod remained not out on 38, having faced 88 balls and struck four fours. Vidarbha's seamers took nine of the 10 wickets, left-armer Ravikumar Thakur the most successful with figures of 4 for 38.

A 212-run third wicket partnership between Arpit Vasavada and Sheldon Jackson steered Saurashtra out of a potentially slippery situation against Gujarat. Starting their second innings trailing by 41 runs, Saurashtra were still a run short of drawing level when they lost their second wicket. Vasavada and Jackson, however, snuffed out the danger and remained together for 60.5 overs, before Akshar Patel dismissed Vasavada for a 211-ball 88. Jackson saw the day through in Jaydev Shah's company, and went to stumps batting on 124, having faced 203 balls, and struck ten fours and a six.