Once play resumed after lunch on Day 4, India D needed 298 runs to win with six wickets in hand in their Duleep Trophy match against India A. The task seemed highly improbable with only two sessions remaining on the final day. The deteriorating pitch brought the spin duo of Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani into play, and they combined to take seven wickets, dismissing India D for 301.
A 186-run victory earned India A six crucial points. Ricky Bhui held one end and scored a fighting century, but he lacked support from his teammates, and the match ended just before tea. This defeat eliminates India D from contention for the trophy, as they have now lost both their matches.
A target of 488 in the fourth innings was always going to be challenging, and given India D’s poor start yesterday, an early conclusion was anticipated. The damage was inflicted in a hectic morning session during which they lost three wickets, including a bizarre run-out. The last recognised batter, Sanju Samson, was dismissed after the lunch break, and the spinners took advantage to dismiss the tailenders and secure a resounding win.
In the morning session, Bhui and Yash Dubey had forged a promising 100-run partnership, providing a glimmer of hope for India D. However, a straight drive from Bhui deflected off Dubey’s bat, leading to a swift run-out by Mulani. The spinners soon asserted their dominance, with Mulani bowling a superb delivery to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal. Shreyas Iyer then made a quickfire 41, including several impressive shots. But he was ultimately undone by a delivery that kept low and disturbed the timber.
Bhui continued with his good work from yesterday, looking untroubled and scoring a determined century. Samson, who joined him at the crease and hit a couple of big sixes before lunch, attempted to put pressure on the spinners, but his innings was cut short by a fine delivery from Mulani. The left-arm spinner was turning the ball, while Kotian’s right-arm off-spin was disciplined enough to choke India D batters.
The tailenders succumbed meekly after lunch, with only Saurabh Kumar and Harshit Rana showing some resistance.
The conditions were ideal for the spinners, and both Kotian and Mulani capitalised on that. Both spinners used the crease effectively, varied their pace, and created different angles to keep the batters guessing. With the pitch behaving unpredictably, they were precise in landing the ball in the right areas.
Brief scores: India A 290 (Shams Mulani 89, Tanush Kotian 53; Harshit Rana 4/51) & 380/3 decl. (Pratham Singh 122, Tilak Varma 111*; Saurabh Kumar 2/110) vs India D 183 (Devdutt Padikkal 92, Harshit Rana 31; Khaleel Ahmed 3/39) & 301 (Ricky Bhui 113, Shreyas Iyer 41; Tanush Kotian 4/73). India A won by 186 runs.