KL Rahul did all he could, but the finish line was just far too. Playing his first red-ball match since January, Rahul top-scored for India A in both innings. He may have fallen short of a fifty in the first dig but got there the second time of trying (57), and that too when his side was under the pump. It may not have won India A the match but has confirmed his Test spot for the Indian team with Bangladesh coming soon. Injury forced him out in January, and form will force him back in now.
Wickets everywhere
Having had India B at 150/6 after the third day, Shubman Gill’s India A did well to restrict them to 184. Akash Deep bowled great and ended up with a five-wicket haul. Having made 231 in the first inning, a target of 285 seemed way too much. The start wasn’t great either, as Yash Dayal got Mayank Agarwal in the second over. But Riyan Parag launched a great counterattack.
He was going hard at the bowlers. Smashing sixes to Dayal and Mukesh Kumar. His aggression saw India A cross the 50-run mark in the seventh over. But it didn’t last long. Dayal got him for the second time in the match and tipped India B ahead once again. His wickets started a domino effect of sorts. Navdeep Saini got Shubman once again, and Dayal sent Dhruv Jurel back for a duck. Tanush Kotian’s promotion backfired as well, with Mukesh getting him on just his second ball.
KL Rahul leads the fight
76/5 chasing 285. KL Rahul had been watching wickets tumble from the other end. He was their highest scorer in the first innings, and much depends on him now. Shivam Dube didn’t last long either, as he gave Musheer an easy catch at cover, and into the tailenders they went.
Trusting Kuldeep Yadav’s defense, he took the game forward. Scoring a fifty on the way. With only one session left, he thought it was time to go for his shots. Looking to line Mukesh up, he fell to an off-cutter when he was on 57, and the match ended there. Akash Deep hit a few shots, but India A were all out for 198, and India B won by 76 runs.
Brief scores: India A vs B
India B, 1st innings: 321/10 (Musheer Khan 181, Akash Deep 4/60)
India A, 1st innings: 231/10 (KL Rahul 37, Navdeep Saini 3/60)
India B, 2nd innings: 184/10 (Rishabh Pant 61, Akash Deep 5/56)
India A, 2nd innings: 198/10 (KL Rahul 57, Yash Dayal 3/50)
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