Duleep Trophy: Skipper Iyer flops, Samson shines as India D takes commanding position on Day 2
Sep 20, 2024
Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 20 : Shreyas Iyer's dismay continued, but Sanju Samson's inspired knock brought India D back into the game against India B in the third round of the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur.
After finishing the opening day on a score of 89*, Sanju continued to strive hard and struck a splendid century. He raced to his century and lost his wicket shortly to Navdeep Saini.
In reply, India B skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran was the lone fighter for his side as the rest of the batters tumbled on the other end.
Abhimanyu struck 116 to keep India B hopes of putting up a respectable score on the board in reply to 349 posted by India D.
When Musheer Khan and Suyash Prabhudessai, fell short, all eyes were on Suryakumar Yadav as he made his return to the Test format.
He faced 15 deliveries, struck a boundary but was sent back to the dressing room by the in-form pacer Arshdeep Singh.
Abhimanyu also joined his teammates in the dressing room after losing his wicket to Aditya Thakare on 116. He went for a hook shot, but it seemed as if the ball had defecated off his arm guard.
Washington Sundar came towards the end and fired 39* to steady India B back into the game. He stayed at the end as India D ended the day with a score of 210/6.
In the second game, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan failed to capitalise on the opportunity of putting runs on the board as India C found themselves reeling at 216/7.
After restricting India A to 297, India C top-order batters failed to provide an ideal start. Aaqib Khan ran through India C opener order featuring Gaikwad (17), Sudharsan (17), and Patidar (golden duck). After Avesh Khan castled Ishan Kishan, Abishek Porel stepped onto the crease and scripted a resounding comeback.
Porel dwelled on his bright performances for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He struck 82 off 113 deliveries to bring India C back into the game.
Porel's stay on the crease was cut short by Shams Mulani and once again, India C found themselves in a dire situation.
The tail end was asked to rise up to the challenge, and Pulkit Narang with Vyshak Vijay Kumar took the mantle of seeing the day out. The duo forged an unbeaten 49-run stand, which propelled the India C score to 216/7. Earlier in the day, India A managed to extend their score of 224/7 to 297 after Avesh Khan's 51*.
