Jonty flying high after century in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy opener

Jonty Sidhu shines with unbeaten century for Delhi in Ranji Trophy, aiming to make a mark against Tamil Nadu.

Jonty Sidhu has begun the new Ranji Trophy season just like he had finished the previous one — with an unbeaten century for Delhi.

While his ton against Odisha in February had helped Delhi claim a seven-wicket win to bring down the curtain on a disheartening campaign, his latest effort in Raipur over the weekend was integral to his side bagging the first-innings lead and three points in its opening fixture of the 2024-25 season against Chhattisgarh.

Aiming to overhaul Chhattisgarh’s first-innings total of 343, Delhi was in a spot of bother at 202 for five when the lanky left-hander strode in at No. 7. With the cream of Delhi’s batting line-up back in the dressing room, Sidhu, 26, successfully blended caution with aggression while combining with the lower order to finish on an unbeaten 103.

“If you see most of my innings, I have made a lot of runs with the lower order because I bat at No. 5 or 6,” Sidhu told The Hindu on Tuesday.

“Being able to bat with the lower order has been developed by playing more. You learn how to handle these situations. I enjoy situations where the team is entirely dependent on me. I enjoy it when I have to bat with bowlers.”

Despite Sidhu’s average of 49.1 after 23 First Class matches, this was oddly the first time in three seasons that he was selected for Delhi’s opening game.

Buoyant