The final round of the Duleep Trophy saw contrasting starts for the teams, with India A taking on India C and India D facing India B. India A, sent in to bat first, struggled early on as Anshul Kamboj continued his superb form, dismissing openers Pratham Singh and Mayank Agarwal cheaply. Vyshak Vijay Kumar added to India A’s woes by removing Riyan Parag, leaving them reeling at 17/3 within 11 overs.
On the other hand, India D had a strong opening day, with Devdutt Padikkal and Srikar Bharat laying a solid foundation by scoring half-centuries. Sanju Samson played a crucial 89* and ended the day with a total of 224/7.
Meanwhile, India A made a recovery with Shashwat Rawat staying unbeaten on 122 and taking the team to a 306/5 total.
India A’s woes deepened as they lost two more quick wickets, with Tilak Varma falling to a run-out by Vyshak and Kumar Kushagra playing a loose shot, caught behind by the wicketkeeper. At 36/5, the situation looked grim, but Shams Mulani and Shashwat began a steady rebuilding effort, taking the score to 67/5 by lunch.
On the other side, India D’s openers, Padikkal and Srikar, looked in full control, guiding their team to a comfortable 98/0 by the lunch break, leaving them in a commanding position.
After reaching a well-deserved fifty, Padikkal threw his wicket away post-lunch, falling to Navdeep Saini. Srikar followed soon after, dismissed by Mukesh Kumar, leaving India D in a bit of trouble at 119/2. Meanwhile, Mulani, who looked in fine touch for India A, fell to medium-pacer Gaurav Yadav while attempting an aggressive shot, unable to execute it successfully. Rawat remained steady at the crease, with Tanush Kotian joining him. India D faced more setbacks, losing Nishant Sindhu to a brilliant catch by Suyash Prabhudessai and Shreyas Iyer getting out for a duck yet again, compounding their struggles. By tea, India D was 187/4, while India A reached 144/6, with both teams in need of stability.
After tea, Kamboj struck again, taking his third wicket by removing Kotian with a delivery that rose sharply off the wicket, reducing India A to 144/7. India D, who started well after tea, faced another setback as Ricky Bhui played a poor shot, falling to some clever bowling by Rahul Chahar, putting his side under pressure. However, Samson took charge, playing his natural aggressive game, racing to a quick fifty that provided some relief for India D and kept them on track.
On the India A side, Shashwat mirrored Samson’s efforts but went even further, reaching a superb century under pressure. As wickets tumbled around him, Shashwat remained composed, anchoring the innings. Avesh Khan provided valuable support, holding firm at the other end, allowing Shashwat to continue his remarkable innings despite the situation. At the end of the day’s play, both Shashwat and Samson remained unbeaten for their sides, providing them with an opportunity to build even further tomorrow.
Brief Scores:
India D: Srikar Bharat 52, Ricky Bhui 56, Sanju Samson 89*, Rahul Chahar 3/54 vs India B
India A: Shashwat Rawat 122*, Shams Mulani 44, Anshul Kamboj 3/40 vs India C
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