Duleep Trophy: Seamers help India B register 76-run win over India A

Bengaluru, Sep 8 (IANS) Seamers Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini took seven wickets collectively to help India B register a convincing 76-run win over India A in the Duleep Trophy first round match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

In the morning, probing spells from Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed meant the last four wickets of India B could only add 34 runs, as they were bowled out for 184 in 42 overs. While Akash finished with 5-56 and took his match haul to nine wickets, Khaleel ended up with 3-69 against his name, as India A were given a challenging target of 275.

In the chase, India A showed positive intent as Riyan Parag played superb shots off fast bowlers while making 31 runs off just 18 balls. But left-arm pacer Dayal dismissed him, Mayank Agarwal and Dhruv Jurel in a brilliant new-ball spell to push India A on the backfoot.

Despite KL Rahul making 57 and Kuldeep Yadav offering some support via his knock of 14 and some blitzkrieg from Akash in his 42-ball 43, India A were bowled out for 198 with an hour left in day four’s play and gave India B six points.

Resuming from 150/6 and a lead of 240 runs, India B were rocked 10 balls into day four as Akash had R Sai Kishore caught behind, followed by him uprooting Washington Sundar’s off-stump, and having Navdeep Saini caught behind to complete his five-wicket haul, as Dhruv Jurel completed seven catches in the innings.

Dayal had some fun in his nine-ball 16, before holing out to mid-off against Khaleel to bring a swift end to India B’s innings. In defence of 275, India B got an early breakthrough as Mayank Agarwal was caught at slip off Dayal. Parag showed refreshing attacking intent by picking the lengths early via his short-arm jabs and pulls to hit three sixes and a four.

But Dayal came from around the wicket and the tactic worked as Parag pushed at the delivery and gave a faint edge behind to the keeper. Gill looked out of sorts and was even dropped on 16 before going for a big drive and nicking behind to keeper, as Saini got him out for the second time in the match.

India B’s chances of getting a win got a big boost when Jurel and Tanush Kotian fell for ducks on either side of the first session, followed by Shivam Dube lobbing a leading edge to short cover off Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Rahul reached his half-century in 99 balls while sharing a partnership with Kuldeep which lasted 17 overs. But his knock of 57, laced with seven fours, came to an end in the third session, when his attempt to cut off the back foot gave a nick behind to keeper off Mukesh.

With the result being a foregone conclusion, Akash hit three fours and four sixes to delay the inevitable. But once he was run-out by Musheer from short leg, while wandering out of the crease, that clinched the game in India B’s favour.

Brief scores: India B 321 and 184 (Rishabh Pant 61, Sarfaraz Khan 46; Akash Deep 5-56, Khaleel Ahmed 3-69) beat India A 231 and 198 (KL Rahul 57, Akash Deep 43; Yash Dayal 3-50, Navdeep Saini 2-41) by 76 runs.

–IANS

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