The Punjab juggernaut rolls on

Punjab completed a fifth successive drubbing in the North Zone Ranji Trophy league, their latest victim being Delhi which succumbed by 199 runs inside three days at the capital's Harbax Singh Stadium. On a day that saw seventeen wickets tumble, Delhi, chasing a fourth innings target of 280, were knocked over for precisely two hundred runs less.

There was no inkling of the mayhem to follow as Pankaj Dharmani and Dinesh Mongia carried off in the morning from the overnight 74/3. After a partnership of 67, both were removed in the space of four balls to leave Punjab at 112/5. Yuvraj Singh, despatched by the selectors to help himself to some batting practice before the ODIs against Zimbabwe, did not quite succeed in the enterprise. He collected 20 in the second innings to add to his first innings 8.

Off spinner Harbhajan Singh has shown considerable all-round pretensions this season and he boosted the Punjab total by top scoring with 37 at No.8. Delhi's left arm speedster Ashish Nehra continued his spectacular run of form, scalping 6/59 and taking his match tally to 10/112.

Only four batsmen reached double figures as Delhi followed up their first innings 104 with a pathetic 80, the second time round. Gautam Gambhir who topscored in the first innings with 21, again collected that dubious honour, making the same number of runs. All four bowlers used were among the wickets with Harbhajan, who went unrewarded in the first innings, producing the best figures of 4/17. Seamer Gagandeep Singh almost matched Nehra wicket for wicket, concluding the match with a tally of 9/63.