The under-pressure Shreyas Iyer‘s dismal run continued but strong performances from the other frontline batters, including Sanju Samson, guided India D to 306 for five on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy match against India B in Anantapur on Thursday. Iyer, aiming to make a comeback to India’s Test squad, fell for a second successive duck in the ongoing tournament. However, Devdutt Padikkal (50), Srikar Bharat (52), RickyBhui (56) and Samson (89 not out) smashed half-centuries as India D batters produced a solid show.

At stumps, Samson and Saransh Jain (26) were at the crease. For India B, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (3/60) was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets. Mukesh Kumar (1/37) and Navdeep Saini (1/51) picked up a wicket each after India B won the toss and elected to field first at the Rural Development Trust Stadium.

Opening the innings, Padikkal and Bharat put together a solid 105-run partnership. However, Saini provided the breakthrough by removing Padikkal, followed by Mukesh dismissing Bharat, with both catches being taken by wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan.

After their departure, Nishant Sindhu managed just 19 before getting out, and skipper Iyer’s dismissal by Chahar left India D at 175 for four, halting their momentum.

Bhui then took charge, adding 41 runs with Samson to take the team past 200. But Chahar struck again, removing Bhui as India D were reduced to 216 for five.

But Samson kept going, blasting 10 fours and three sixes during his 83-ball innings to keep India D on track.

Samson added an unbeaten 90 runs with Jain.

It was another disappointing outing for Iyer, who walked in with India D well-placed at 172/3 but failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

Iyer has so far managed just 104 runs in five innings (9, 54, 0, 41, 0), averaging a modest 20.80 in the tournament.

Having been left out of the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, Iyer’s chances of being considered for the upcoming series in Australia, or the home series against New Zealand appear slim.

Brief Scores: India D: 306 for five in 77 overs (Sanju Samson 89 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 50, Srikar Bharat 52, Ricky Bhui 56; Rahul Chahar 3/60) vs India B.

Rawat’s rearguard hundred rescues India A

Shashwat Rawat led India A’s dramatic recovery with an unbeaten 122 to steer them to 224 for seven on day one of the Duleep Trophy tie against India C here on Thursday.

The left-handed batter, who plays for Baroda in domestic cricket, got support only from Shams Mulani (44 off 76) after India A were reduced to 36 for five in the 20th over.

Last match’s centurion Pratham Singh, captain Mayank Agarwal, Tilak Varma and Riyan Parag all fell in single digits. Pacer Anshul Kamboj, who took eight wickets in an innings last week, was again the standout bowler for India C.

It was a knock to remember for Rawat who collected 15 fours in his unbeaten 235-ball effort. The elegant southpaw played an array of delightful shots through his epic innings including straight drives, cover drives and even reverse sweeps off the spinners.

He shared a much-needed 87-run stand with bowling all-rounder Mulani who once again came to the team’s rescue with the bat following a match-winning effort in the previous game.

India C, who lead the Duleep Trophy standings with nine points, will be aiming to bowl out India A at the earliest on day two.

India A skipper Agarwal has not had a tournament to remember and his lean run was extended on Thursday. The same goes for Riyan Parag who has not been able to spend time in the middle despite promising a lot.

Brief scores: 224/7 in 77 overs (Shashwat Rawat 122 batting, Shams Mulani 44; Anshul Kamboj 3/40, Vijaykumar Vyshak 2/33).

Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani has had a first-class match of his life. After scoring a match-saving 89 in the first innings for India A against India D in the Duleep Trophy 2024 second round, Mulani now starred with the ball and with his quick thinking in the field. Not only did he pick up four wickets in the game, the 27-year-old was able to inflict a rare type of run out. Yash Dubey, opening the batting for India D, was the victim of a stroke of misfortune and a brilliant piece of game alertness by Mulani.

Watch: Yash Dubey run out by Shams Mulani

Some quick thinking, presence of mind & luck helped India A break the 100-run stand between Yash Dubey & Ricky Bhui #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match : https://t.co/m9YW0HttaH pic.twitter.com/w6nBmgPxfB

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 15, 2024

Striker Ricky Bhui had played a ball bowled by Mulani down the ground, but the ball happened to deflect off non-striker Dubey’s bat. However, Dubey, thinking that the ball had slipped through, attempted to sneak a quick single.

However, an alert Mulani noticed that the ball hadn’t gone too far, and grabbed it and dislodged the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Dubey was late to react, and had to walk back to the pavilion. He was dismissed on a score of 37 off 94 balls.

India A vs India D, Duleep Trophy 2024: As it happened

India A registered a thumping 186-run victory, despite struggling at 94/5 in their first innings. Mulani’s resilient 89 had helped India A to go from there to a total of 290, after which they took a 107-run lead as India D were bowled out for just 183.

Notably, India D captain Shreyas Iyer made a duck, after walking out to bat wearing sunglasses.

In the second innings, centuries by Pratham Singh and Tilak Verma helped India A set a mammoth target of 487. India D were bowled out for 301, with Mulani dismantling the middle order by taking the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson, along with his moment of genius by running out Dubey.

Pacer Anshul Kamboj ended up with an eight-wicket haul.© X (formerly Twitter)

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson left everyone utterly stunned with his batting heroics on Sunday. Playing for India D against India A, Samson played a quick knock of 40 off 45 and kept his side in the mammoth chase of 488. On Day 4 of the second round match, India D needed 426 runs more to win with Ricky Bhui and Yash Dubey standing unbeaten at the crease at 62/1. Bhui and Dubey’s partnership kept India D in the game but Shams Mulani helped India A to bounce back. 

After losing Dubey’s wicket for 37, India D also lost Devdutt Padikkal cheaply. However, skipper Shreyas Iyer stitched a valuable partnership with Bhui, before getting dismissed for 41 by Mulani.

Then, Samson stepped in to bat at no 6 and changed the momentum of the game. The Rajasthan Royals skipper began his hitting with a beautiful boundary off Tanush Kotian. 

Getting into the groove early

Stepping out & smashing down the ground.

Sanju Samson has played some cracking shots so far #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match: https://t.co/m9YW0Hu10f pic.twitter.com/i965bytcvI

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 15, 2024

He then went on to smash a six against Mulani and then hit a boundary and a maximum in the 57th over of Kotian. However, his powerful knock came to an end in the 61st over when Kotian got the better of him. 

Samson tried to play a defensive shot but the ball found a faint outside edge and was caught by Kumar Kushagra. 

Talking about the match, Bhui smashed a century and standing solid for India D in the massive run-chase. 

Earlier on Day 3, Tilak Varma and Pratham made smooth hundreds to drive India A to a commanding position against India D.

Varma did no harm to his ambitions of keeping himself visible in the India scheme of things with an unbeaten 111 (193 balls, 9×4), while Pratham made an impressive 122 (189 balls, 12×4, 1×6) as India A declared their second innings closed at 380 for three. 

It gave them an overall lead of 487, and India D chiselled off 62 from the target of 488 for the loss of Atharva Taide.

With PTI Inputs

India A batter Riyan Parag had another poor outing with the bat in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, this time during the second round match against India D in Anantpur. After scoring 37 off just 29 balls in the first innings, Parag failed to convert a good start in the second innings, perishing to Saurab Kumar for 20 off 31 balls. He came out to bat with a positive intent smashing two sixes. However, his knock was cut shot due to a poor choice of shot on the final ball of the 69th over.

Parag miscued a shot as the ball hit the toe-end of the bat, and substitute fielder Aditya Thakare took a brilliant catch to end the former’s stay in the middle.

Parag’s flop show, however, sparked a huge debate on social media, with fans complaining that the youngster doesn’t know how to convert his starts into a big knock.

Here’s how internet reacted:

You never doubt the villains. #RiyanParag pic.twitter.com/jY0hMvouow

— Kaushik Kashyap (@CricKaushik_) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag gets the start in almost every inning but fails to convert into the big one.He has to understand people remember a big hundred.

His recent scores in Duleep Trophy,20, 37, 31 and 30. pic.twitter.com/jK2mA6V7pg

— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag in the Duleep Trophy 2024 so far for India A:

30, 31, 37, 20.#RiyanParag #DuleepTrophy #DuleepTrophy2024 #DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/D8ZAc08lw4

— Sa HiB (LQ) (@SaHib__143) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag got another start but failed to capitalise yet again !!

His scores thus far in the Duleep Trophy: 30, 31, 37, 20 !! #DuleepTrophy #JaspritBumrah #ViratKohli #INDvBAN #MorneMorkel #SuryakumarYadav #TeamIndia #Chepauk pic.twitter.com/XqLHy2M8TQ

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) September 14, 2024

20(31) Riyan parag gifted his wicket after settled#riya #parag #riyanparang #DuleepTrophy2024 #cricket #IPL2025 #ipl #test pic.twitter.com/lMGSUBQZna

— mzk (@Zuhaib006) September 14, 2024

Meanwhile, Pratham Singh and Tilak Varma notched up their respective centuries while sharing a 104-run stand for the second wicket to put India A in command against India D on day three.

On a day dominated by the batters, efforts of Pratham (122 off 189 balls) and Tilak (111* off 193 balls) along with Shashwat Rawat‘s 64 off 88 balls and captain Mayank Agarwal‘s 56 on day two helped India A declare their innings at 380/3 in 98 overs, setting India D a huge target of 489.

At stumps, India D reached 62/1 in 19 overs, and need 426 more runs to register an improbable win. Ricky Bhui (44*) and Yash Dubey (15*) steadied the ship for India D till stumps arrived after the early loss of Atharva Taide, who was dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed for the second time in this match.

(With IANS Inputs)

Making his comeback from injury, Tilak Varma made a strong case for the Indian cricket team with a sensational century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy game between India A and India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium, Anantapur. Varma on Saturday did no harm to his ambitions of keeping himself visible in the India scheme of things with an unbeaten 111 off 193 balls as India A declared their second innings closed at 380 for three. After racing to his hundred, Varma took off his helmet to acknowledge the cheer from the crowd. However, it was the celebration of his teammate Avesh Khan that has gone viral.

The cameras spotted Avesh in the stands making funny dance moves while celebrating the century of Varma.

Watch it here:

Tilak Varma brings up his

A calm and composed innings laced with 9 fours #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match : https://t.co/m9YW0HttaH pic.twitter.com/wkCD4bln7E

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 14, 2024

Varma and Pratham made smooth hundreds to drive India A to a commanding position against India D after the third day of their Duleep Trophy match on Saturday. While Varma scored 111 not out, Pratham made an impressive 122 as India A declared their second innings at 380 for three.

It gave them an overall lead of 487, and India D have chiselled off 62 from the target of 488 for the loss of Atharva Taide.

Ricky Bhui (44) and Yash Dubey (15) were at the crease for India D.

Pratham, who resumed from the overnight 59, continued to play fluently and reached his 100 in 149 balls in the first session itself.

But the 32-year-old Railways batter fell to left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar close to the end of the opening session. Pratham added 104 runs for the second wicket with Varma.

However, Varma, who was once rated by Rohit Sharma as India’s next all-format player, held his end up well remaining unbeaten on 60, having brought up his fifty a bit earlier off 96 balls. India A took lunch at a solid 260 for two after starting the day from 115 for one.

But soon after resumption, India A lost Riyan Parag for 20 but Varma found an equally determined partner in Shashwat Rawat (64 not out, 88 balls, 7×4).

The fourth-wicket pair added 116 runs without getting separated that gave India A complete control of the proceedings.

Varma notched up his fifth First-Class hundred with a late cut to the third man region off off-spinner Saransh Jain that fetched the left-hander two runs. His hundred came off 177 balls.

India A went to tea break at 370 for three and then batted about 15 minutes into the final session before declaring the innings closed.

Though India D lost opener Taide in the third over to pacer Khaleel Ahmed, Dubey and Bhui ensured that their side will enter the final day without further damage.

(With PTI Inputs)

Tilak Varma in action during Duleep Trophy match© X (formerly Twitter)

The ongoing Duleep Trophy is bringing out the some thrilling red-ball action with the participation of many big names of India’s senior men’s cricket team. The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer are some of the senior players who featured in the first round match of the Duleep Trophy. While some players have left for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Iyer, who is the captain of India D, did not find a place in India’s Test squad and is currently playing the second round match against India A. However, this domestic series did not go as planned for Iyer.

The 29-year-old batter had a shaky start to his Duleep Trophy campaign. In the first match against India C, Iyer scored 9 and 54 while in the second game, he got out for a seven-ball-duck.

Iyer, who was axed from the BCCI’s central contract list, is eyeing a perfect opportunity to make a comeback in India’s Test side. However, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali slammed the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper for his lack of intent towards red-ball cricket.

Basit stated that Iyer is lucky because the India veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are not playing the Duleep Trophy.

“As a cricketer, it saddens me to see him. If you are getting out in front, your concentration isn’t in the game. And especially the red-ball game. He has scored two centuries in the World Cup, he’s an IPL-winning captain, he should’ve scored 100-200 runs here. Iyer is so lucky that Rahane and Pujara aren’t playing in Duleep Trophy,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.

“Iyer doesn’t have the hunger for red-ball cricket anymore. He’s only hungry for boundaries. You should prioritise it. If he’s thinking he is similar to Virat Kohli after hitting two centuries in World Cup, no, it doesn’t happen that way. I’m sorry to Indians who like him, but if I was India’s selector, Iyer wouldn’t have been in the Duleep Trophy at all. He’s not respecting the game,” he added.

The first Test between India and Bangladesh will kick-start from September 19 in Chennai.

India A vs India D LIVE Updates, Duleep Trophy 2024© X (Twitter)

India D captain Shreyas Iyer picked up a wicket in first-class cricket for the first time in almost six years during the Duleep Trophy match against India A on Friday. It was the final ball of Day 2 when Shreyas introduced himself into the attack and he was able to dismiss Mayank Agarwal on his very first delivery. It was a slightly flighted delivery that took Mayank by surprise and he ended up playing it straight back to the bowler. Shreyas took a good catch off his own bowling and his celebration said it all. The last time he took a first-class wicket was back in 2018 when he dismissed Saurashtra’s Chetan Sakariya.

Half-centuries by skipper Mayank Agarwal and Pratam Singh helped India A reach 115 for one in their second innings and extend their hold over India D after second day’s play.

Golden Arm!

Shreyas Iyer comes into the attack. Shreyas Iyer strikes first ball

An excellent low catch off his own bowling, and he breaks the 115-run opening stand at the stroke of stumps. #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecardhttps://t.co/m9YW0Hu10f pic.twitter.com/c1nXJsN8QM

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 13, 2024

India A, who made 290 in their first innings, earlier bowled out their opponents for 183 despite India batter Devdutt Padikkal‘s valiant 92 to gain a lead of 107 runs.

Now, India A have an advantage of 222 runs, with Agarwal (56, 87b, 8×4) and Pratham (59 batting, 82b, 6×4) leading their run glut in the second innings.

However, Agarwal, who is eager to chart his way back into selectorial reckoning, will be kicking himself for falling on the last ball of the day to part-time spinner Shreyas Iyer, spooning a simple return catch.

But till that point, Agarwal and Pratam played fluently and executed some fluent drives and cuts as the run-rate never came under four.

However, that’s just one part of India A’s story of domination on the day as earlier pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Aaqib Khan bagged three wickets apiece to rattle the India D line-up.

Only one of their batters defied the constant challenge of judgement – Devdutt who stroked his way to a 124-ball 92 with 15 hits to the ropes.

The Karnataka left-hander who made his Test debut earlier this year against England was particularly harsh on any offering on his pads or away from the off-stump.

A century was there for his taking, but the 24-year-old fell just eight runs shy as his attempt to play a shot on the up off state-mate Prasidh Krishna ended up in a simple catch to stumper Kumar Kushagra.

The 11-4-30-1 figures do not fall under the hallow-spell category, but for Prasidh it was important in his comeback journey.

This was the pacer’s first outing in competitive cricket since Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat in January this year.

Since that match, the 28-year-old was recuperating from a quadricep injury.

(With PTI inputs)