New Delhi: For hours, they had waited. For days, they had been lining up. This was the moment the Arun Jaitley stadium was waiting for.

Yash Dhull had been dismissed by Rahul Sharma and Virat Kohli, back in Ranji whites for Delhi, was striding to the crease with a familiar, purposeful swagger.

The stay was brief, it lasted all of 15 balls. In that period too, Railways pacer Kunal Yadav had tested him, bowling in the channel outside off. He had managed to beat Kohli twice, pitching the ball into the sixth stump line on both occasions.

However, Kohli drilled a straight drive off Himanshu Sangwan for four, prompting the crowd to raise the volume. But then, cricket is a one-ball game for batter and when reality struck all you heard was the sound of silence.

The fairytale comeback was not to be on Friday: there was no glorious script, no redemption arc. Not yet, at least. Just a sudden, abrupt end.

When Rohit Sharma was dismissed against Jammu and Kashmir on his return, the bowler, Umar Nazir, did not celebrate in Mumbai. Things happened differently in Delhi, they always do. Sangwan celebrated letting out a roar, his wrists shaking. Not only had Sangwan, a senior ticket collector posted at the Old Delhi Railway station, dismissed Kohli, he had also sent the crowd home.

The delivery darted in, shattering the off-stump. At stumps, Sangwan highlighted their strategy of targeting this length, as discussed in the bowlers' meeting before the match. The message was simple yet crucial: remain disciplined and unwavering, unaffected by the crowd, the home support, or the magnitude of the occasion.

"It was indeed the most important wicket of my life," said Sangwan who made his under-19 debut alongside Rishabh Pant in 2013-14. "Virat Kohli is an inspiration for all of us."

"Delhi batters are very good white-ball cricketers, so we know they are aggressive. Our plan was to stick to bowling in a specific channel. If we don't allow aggressive batters to go for shots, it will frustrate them," said d Sangwan.

Badoni leads from front

After Delhi were 82/2 in 27 overs, skipper Ayush Badoni paved the way for recovery by leading from the front.

The 25-year-old has scored 499 runs in seven innings at an average of 83.16 including an unbeaten 205 against Jharkhand. He also scored 60 and 44 against Saurashtra in the previous match.

Badoni looked determined before the match as well, saying that the occasion may have become grander due to Kohli's presence but, having already played in IPL, he was unfazed by pressure.

But on a day of missed centuries in Ranji Trophy, Badoni kept up with the trend as Karn Sharma dismissed him after an attacking 77-ball 99.

'Experience of a lifetime'

Delhi's other hero was all-rounder Sumit Mathur who is batting overnight at 78 off 189.

Mathur may not have the same exposure to a big crowd as Badoni but his first interaction with Kohli and the historic turnout for this game has motivated him further.

"It's an experience of a lifetime," said Mathur. "I am going to remember this until the day I continue to play cricket."

Mathur had stitched a 133-run partnership with Badoni before combining with Pranav Rajvanshi (39), Shivam Sharma (14) and then, Siddhanth Sharma (15*).

"Our plan was to build a big partnership so that we can take the lead," said Mathur. "With Badoni playing aggressively, I could take my time and that's why I played my natural game."

At stumps on Day 2, Delhi have scored 334/7 and lead by 93 runs. Delhi are still going for the win, said Mathur.