After India B’s solid batting display on Day 2, maintaining the same momentum on Day 3 proved challenging. Abhimanyu Easwaran stood out with a composed and brilliant 143*, holding the innings together under pressure. Meanwhile, pace bowler Anshul Kamboj was the star with the ball for India C, claiming five critical wickets that derailed India B’s progress. By the end of the day’s play, India B find themselves at 309/7.
Thirty minutes into play, India C made a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Narayan Jagadeesan. Kamboj delivered a beauty that wicketkeeper Abishek Porel caught, ending the 129-run opening stand. Shortly after, Musheer Khan, who had a stellar debut in the Duleep Trophy, couldn’t find his rhythm against India C and was trapped leg before wicket by Kamboj. Sarfaraz Khan followed his brother Musheer to the crease, but after adding a few runs, he too fell victim to Kamboj, trapped in front.
Even as wickets fell around him, Easwaran maintained his calm, steadily adding to India B’s total. His shot selection and temperament stood out during the first session. Rinku Singh, who made his way into the side after missing the first match, couldn’t make the most of his opportunity, falling to Kamboj, leaving India B in a precarious position at 193/4. Matters worsened shortly after when Kamboj claimed Nitish Kumar Reddy’s wicket for just 2 runs, marking his first-class five-wicket haul. Amid the setbacks, Easwaran brought up a crucial century after lunch, offering a glimmer of hope for his team to stay in the contest.
For another read:
Tilak Varma and Pratham Singh shone brightly with centuries, helping India A take pole position.
✍🏻 @VTrips_7781 #DuleepTrophy #DuleepTrophy2024 https://t.co/MtTQ0EzOU9
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 14, 2024
Washington Sundar joined Easwaran at the crease but couldn’t provide long-term support, departing for 13 after Vijaykumar Vyshak took a key wicket, with Sai Sudharsan grabbing a fine catch. The silver lining for India B is that Easwaran remains unbeaten on 143, carrying the team’s hopes, while Rahul Chahar is offering decent support, batting on 18. As they prepare to resume on day 4, a result seems unlikely, with India B still trailing by a significant 216 runs.
Brief Scores: India B 309/7 ( Abhimanyu Easwaran 143* , Narayan Jagadeesan 70, Anshul Kamboj 5/66) trail India C 525 (Ishan Kishan 111 Manav Suthar 82; Rahul Chahar 4-73) by 216 runs
For more sports content: https://revsportz.in/