With a hope of pinning his place in the Indian Test team, Gautam Gambhir went back to domestic cricket to lead his state team Delhi against the Karnataka side led by his rival for the opening spot,Karun Nair. It was a direct competition between the two captains as the winner will surely be given preference in the upcoming Test series against England.

With the Test squad to be announced anytime soon, scoring runs here was of paramount importance for both the players. Being the senior ones, all eyes were on Gautam Gambhir, who just made comeback in the Indian team and scored a half century to keep his hopes alive of making it to the England Tests but he disappointed in the first innings getting out on the score of just 2. Following a failure from the leader himself, Delhi team surrendered in front of Karnataka bowlers and were bundled out on a total of 90 to which Karnataka replied heavily by piling up 414 in reply. Most importantly, their captain, Karun Nair scored 53 before getting out to Delhi all-rounder Varun Sood. He gained an upper hand over Gautam Gambhir.

Then came the second innings, a second chance for Gautam Gambhir to press the right accelerator before the announcement of the Test squad. The comeback man, however, failed in the test and was again dismissed on a score of just 2 runs. It was a heartbreak moment for all who were hoping a great show from Gautam Gambhir.

A loss suffered by Delhi here would add to his woes and it would be a delight for Karun Nair as it would strengthen his chance of getting that one spot in the Indian squad. At the time of Gambir’s dismissal, Delhi was struggling on a score of 11/2, still, 313 runs behind Karnataka with a total of 176 hours remaining in the game.

There is an even chance of Delhi losing the game and Karnataka emerging as the winners of this contest. A half century from Karun Nair’s bat in the fourth innings will be enough to keep Gautam Gambhir at bay for long.