Medium pacer Rajat Bhatia and leg spinner Chaitanya Nanda shared eight wickets to help Delhi bundle out Maharashtra for a meagre 219 runs on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Division Group A tie in Nagothane on Sunday.

Opener Vishant More (35), Hrishikesh Kanitkar (67 in almost four hours), Vishal Bhilare (31) and Kedar Jadhav (33)
were the batsmen to show some resistance.

For Delhi, Bhatia scalped 5 for 29; his movement fetching him four of the top five wickets, and Nanda took 3 for 40.

The hosts and pool leaders were dismissed in the last session and in the remaining time Delhi replied with 23 for the loss of opener Shikar Dhawan's wicket in 6.2 overs before bad light stopped play at the Reliance [Get Quote] cricket stadium.

Akash Chopra (12) and night watchman Nanda (0) were at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day.

Earlier, choosing to bat after the match started late due to a wet outfield drenched by dew, Maharashtra lost in-form opener Harshad Khadiwale (0) cheaply. Bu wicket keeper batsman More and the left handed Kanitkar put on 48 runs for the second wicket before the hosts slumped to 74 for four after the former was dismissed at 54.

Scorecard:

Maharashtra (1st innings):
V More c Chopra b Bhatia 35
H Khadiwale c Bisht b Awana 0
H Kanitakar c Dhawan b Bhatia 67
Y Venugopal Rao c Bisht b Bhatia 5
Y Takawale c Bisht b Bhatia 8
V Bhilare c Chopra b Nanda 31
K Jadhav b Nanda 33
S Bahutule c Manhas b Bhatia 0
S Agharkar c Chopra b Nanda 17
S Fallah not out 6
W Sayyed b Nanda 0
Extras: (b3, lb 1, nb 4, wb 9) 17
Total: (all out in 77.4 overs) 219

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-54, 3-63, 4-74, 5-144. 6-167, 7-170, 8-198, 9-218

Bowling: Sangwan 15-2-44-0, Awana 9-2-40-1, Nanda 22-9-40-3, Bhatia 16-6-29-5, Sehwag 6-0-29-0, N Singh 9.4-0-33-1

Delhi (1st innings):
A Chopra batting 12
S Dhawan c Takawale b Sayyed 7
C Nanda batting 0
Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 2) 4
Total: (for one wkt, in 6.2 overs)

Fall of wicket: 1-23

Bowling: Sayyed 3.2-0-8-1, Fallah 3-0-13-0