When the Duleep Trophy squads were announced, the majority of the attention was taken by the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, among those who were named, India A and India B had the most star-studded teams. Led by Shubman Gill (IND A) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (IND B), the two are currently competing in a thrilling Duleep Trophy opener. While the other India C vs India D encounter is already over, this one is promising to be an exciting affair in front of 32,000-seating capacity M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Rishabh Pant-Sarfaraz Khan attack put IND B ahead
Courtesy of Musheer Khan’s impeccable 181 that showed his temperament, India B recorded 321 runs in their first innings. However, the demons in the pitch were evident as Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar took six wickets between them to hand Easwaran’s team a 90-run lead. India B needed to add at least 200 runs in their second innings in order to get themselves ahead of the game.
In the third innings with the new ball, Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed brought a menace. They caused huge trouble. So much so that everyone of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and last innings’ hero Musheer Khan had to head back to pavilion within just 22 runs on board.
Pant in form after quick-fire 50
However, then came the match-changing stand between Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan. When the ball was swinging both ways, the duo launched a counter-attack. They hammered boundaries, including five consecutive ones by Sarfaraz to Akash Deep. Pant, meanwhile, got to his fifty in just a matter of 34 balls. While even he lost his wicket at the end, this phase propelled the B team to amass 150 at Stumps. While both Pant and Sarfaraz didn’t make three-figure marks, their 107 runs combined weight their worth in gold given the context of the match.
Too much to ask from Shubman Gill-led side?
By the end of Day 3’s play, India B have a 240-run lead. They have four more wickets in hand, one of which is the prized wicket of Washington Sundar. Although he was unfortunately run out in the first innings, he has that vigilance in him that could frustrate India A bowling. Let’s say if Sundar drags India B’s lead to anything around 300, it would be damn tough for Shubman Gill and his men.
Given that this is a four-day affair, India A would be needing to score runs at a healthy run rate if they are to seek out a win. However, the conditions have so far offered much help to the seamers. Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, and Mukesh Kumar have that discipline to consistently cause trouble to the star-studded India A batting line-up. While India A have that ingredients to chase down any total, the pressure could see them get bundled out another time.
Brief scores: IND A vs IND B after Day 3
IND B 1st innings: 321/10 (Musheer Khan 181, Akash Deep 4/60)
IND A 1st innings: 231/10 (KL Rahul 37, Navdeep Saini 3/60)
IND B 2nd innings: 150/6 (after 31.3 overs) (Rishabh Pant 61, Akash Deep 2/36)
