Seamer Sumit Narwal took three for 35 as the visitors were all out for 196 in 55.2 overs at the Roshanara Club Ground. Ankit Bawne top-scored with 128-ball 58 laced with six fours.
In reply, Unmukt Chand's off-stump went cartwheeling while skipper Shikhar Dhawan was needlessly run-out as Delhi were 60 for three at stumps.
With 134 runs still needed to get a first innings lead, the Delhi team knows that batting on a bouncy track with a lot of seam movement will be a challenging task. Delhi ideally wouldn't want to chase anything in excess of 120 in the fourth innings.
It will again depend on how well old guard Mithun Manhas bats along with other veteran Rajat Bhatia. Manhas had some anxious moments against the pacers but hung on admirably to end the day batting on 12.
Vaibhav Rawal was giving him company on 16.
With a 'green top' on offer, Delhi's new ball bowlers Pawan Suyal and Vikas Tokas got a bit carried away in the first six overs as they were striving for an extra yard of pace after Dhawan decided to field.
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The openers Virag Awate and Harshad Khadiwale hit a few boundaries in that phase.
Skipper Dhawan rightly brought on his most experienced man Narwal, who immediately got into the act taking two wickets in three deliveries.
First Awate was clean bowled playing to a wrong line after scoring 10 while Sangram Atitkar was out for nought nicking one to Puneet Bisht.
Tokas also got a wicket as Khadiwale (15) saw his middle stump pegged back with Maharashtra tottering at 34 for three.
Soon it became 37 for four as skipper Rohit Motwani was caught in the gully off Narwal's bowling for one. (More)