India B vs India C Day 1 LIVE, Duleep Trophy 2024© X (Twitter)

India B vs India C Day 1 LIVE, Duleep Trophy 2024© X (Twitter)

It is understood that 19-year-old Musheer Khan, who has had a dream first-class season, is all set to travel to Australia for the India A shadow tour, which will have three ‘four-day’ Tests. Having scored a double hundred in the Ranji quarter-final and a century in the final, Musheer has impressed with his 181 for India B against India A. The India A team for Australia tour will be picked based on the Duleep Trophy performances and the Irani Cup match between Rest of India and Ranji champions Mumbai, which will be held before tour of Australia. While a couple of Test specialists and pacers might be sent early, two names that are almost certain to make it are Musheer and Rajasthan left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who has eclipsed Saurabh Kumar as the next best left-arm spinner after Ravindra Jadeja and Axar.

As of now, if there are no fitness issues, Musheer is a certainty for India A’s tour of Australia.

Those in the know believe that his talent and penchant for big scores on big occasions (Ranji Trophy final) and against quality attacks (an opposition pace attack comprising Akash Deep, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan) will work to Musheer’s advantage.

Also the temperament of playing 373 balls (62.1 overs out of 116 overs) has made him stand out along with how he forged partnership with a tailender (Navdeep Saini).

In case of Suthar, Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues are looking at slowly making him Axar’s understudy and put him on regular A tours so that by the time Jadeja is done, he becomes the second left-arm orthodox bowler.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan‘s fearless approach in the home series against England impressed one and all but KL Rahul‘s experience will give him the advantage when it comes to finalising the playing XI in India’s season-opening Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19 in Chennai.

It is believed that the team management and the selection committee’s full focus is on the tour of Australia in November-December and Rahul’s experience of 50 Tests puts him in an advantageous position.

For the team management, it is a choice between a younger man’s (Sarfaraz) flamboyance and fearlessness and a seasoned campaigner who has been a Test captain and is part of the national set-up for a decade now.

“For people on the outside, they don’t understand how a team works and what are the systems in place. In his last three Test matches, KL scored a century in South Africa, one of the best Test knocks in recent times and 86 at Hyderabad in the last Test he played before injury.

“He was not dropped but got injured. So, he is fit and available, scored a fifty in Duleep, got match time and he will start,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Musheer Khan in action during Duleep Trophy 2024.© X (formerly Twitter)

KL Rahul’s gumption, which helped him pile a patient fifty, found no resonance among his colleagues as India B pacers led by Yash Dayal pushed India A to a 76-run defeat on the fourth and final day of their Duleep Trophy match on Sunday. Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack. Rahul top-scored for ‘A’ with a 51.

In the first session of the day, India B made 184 all out in their second essay to muster a handy overall lead of 274.

The India A chase began on a shaky note as Mayank Agarwal departed in the second over itself, wafting Dayal away from his body to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made a wonderful diving catch at second slip.

That brought Riyan Parag to the middle and the right-hander followed the path set on Saturday by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan.

Parag took on the bowlers and pacer Mukesh bore the brunt of his aggression, getting smoked for two sixes and the second maximum touched the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium over the mid-wicket region.

Parag added 48 runs for the second with a rather subdued Shubman Gill, who was dropped by Nitish Reddy at slips off Mukesh on 16, and 31 came off the former’s bat in just 18 balls.

But the approach was tough to sustain considering the kind of assistance the bowlers were getting here, and soon his massive hoick off Dayal took an edge off Parag’s bat en route to stumper Rishabh Pant.

Gill (21) departed soon, falling to Saini for the second time in the match and on this occasion, he edged the pacer to Pant.

Dhruv Jurel poked Dayal well outside off-stump to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully, as India batters perished to a combination of bowlers’ persistence on that channel and their own carelessness.

They took the lunch at a queasy 76 for four that soon transpired into 99 for six after the dismissal of Shivam Dube and Tanush Kotian, an hour into the lunch.

However, Rahul batted out 180 minutes 121 balls and milked 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Kuldeep Yadav to delay the inevitable.

The standout shot in an otherwise dour innings was a whistling on drive off Mukesh that fetched him a boundary.

But Mukesh had his revenge soon when Rahul feathered a cut off him to Pant, who completed five catches in this innings, soon after reaching his fifty with a single off Saini.

It effectively signalled the end of the road of for India A, though Akash Deep (43, 42b, 3×4, 4×6) gave a few moments of fun with a cavalier innings.

But beyond the entertainment value, it always was a case of when more than if.

Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 150 for six India B could only 34 runs more to the total before getting bundled out.

Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).

The spell will keep his name floating among the contenders when the selectors sit together soon to pick up squad for two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

File image of Musheer Khan and Rohit Sharma.© X (Twitter)

India A vs India B, Duleep Trophy 2024 LIVE Score: KL Rahul© AFP

Musheer Khan impressed everyone as the India B batter scored a brilliant 181 on his Duleep Trophy debut during the match against India A on Friday. Musheer faced 373 deliveries and his knock comprised of 16 fours and 5 sixes. He stitched together the highest eighth-wicket partnership in the history of the tournament with Navdeep Saini and took his team to a big total. Thanks to the sensational knock, Musheer found himself ahead of legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar in an elite list. Musheer’s 181 was the third-highest score by a teenager on Duleep Trophy debut behind Baba Aparajith and Yash Dhull. Sachin scored 159 on his first match ever in the competition.

Navdeep Saini reminded of his presence among the fringe pacers with a quality new ball spell that helped India B to keep India A in check at 134 for two in the first innings.

India B needed their bowlers to carry on the excellent effort of Musheer Khan (181, 373b, 16×4, 5×6) that powered ‘B’ to 321 in their first innings.

KL Rahul (23, 80 balls) and Riyan Parag (27, 49 balls) are at the crease at stumps, with India A in arrears by 187 runs.

Saini, who is out of favour since the 2021 away series against Australia, showed some spark to eke out the wickets of India A skipper Shubman Gill (25) and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (36).

The right-arm quick broke the first-wicket alliance 57 between Gill and Agarwal at the stroke of tea to give his side the first breakthrough.

Gill, who crunched a couple of exquisite fours off left-arm seamer Yash Dayal, shouldered arms to an incoming delivery that crashed onto the stumps.

Agarwal, who is also on a comeback trail after going out of favour since the 2022 Pink Ball Test against Sri Lanka here, looked comfortable during his stay in the middle.

His cover drive off Saini was a lovely piece of timing, but the right-hander soon fell to the same bowler, jabbing a down-the-leg delivery to stumper Rishabh Pant.

Pant, who was tidy behind the stumps, made an acrobatic dive to his left to complete a wonderful catch to send back Agarwal.

If Saini, who is playing his first red-ball game since this January, can pick a few more wickets, the Delhiite can add another page to his comeback chart that now includes appearances for India A sides against England Lions and South Africa A in December-January.

(With PTI inputs)

Navdeep Saini reminded of his presence among the fringe pacers with a quality new ball spell that helped India B to keep India A in check at 134 for two in the first innings, after the second day of their Duleep Trophy match in Bengaluru on Friday. India B needed their bowlers to carry on the excellent effort of Musheer Khan (181, 373b, 16×4, 5×6) that powered ‘B’ to 321 in their first innings. KL Rahul (23, 80 balls) and Riyan Parag (27, 49 balls) were at the crease at stumps, with India A in arrears by 187 runs.

Saini, who is out of favour since the 2021 away series against Australia, showed some spark to eke out the wickets of India A skipper Shubman Gill (25) and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (36).

The right-arm quick broke the first-wicket alliance 57 between Gill and Agarwal at the stroke of tea to give his side the first breakthrough.

Gill, who crunched a couple of exquisite fours off left-arm seamer Yash Dayal, shouldered arms to an incoming delivery that crashed onto the stumps.

Agarwal, who is also on a comeback trail after going out of favour since the 2022 Pink Ball Test against Sri Lanka here, looked comfortable during his stay in the middle.

His cover drive off Saini was a lovely piece of timing, but the right-hander soon fell to the same bowler, jabbing a down-the-leg delivery to stumper Rishabh Pant.

Pant, who was tidy behind the stumps, made an acrobatic dive to his left to complete a wonderful catch to send back Agarwal.

If Saini, who is playing his first red-ball game since this January, can pick a few more wickets here, the Delhiite can add another page to his comeback chart that now includes appearances for India A sides against England Lions and South Africa A in December-January.

Rahul and Parag were put through the wringer by the pace triumvirate of Saini, Mukesh Kumar and Nitish Kumar Reddy on a pitch that still offered a good bit of assistance to the quicks.

Balls whooshing past the bat and nervy edges underlined the toughness of the passage.

Rahul needed 14 balls to get off the mark, and he was saved by a drop catch at second slip by Nitish off Mukesh when the batter was on three.

Parag, a natural shot-maker, too had to contain his instincts under the prevailing conditions but a glorious drive through the covers off Saini was a pointer to his timing.

Parag and Rahul, who looked far more comfortable as the innings progressed, have added 68 runs for the unbroken third wicket so far.

Musheer was all timing and confidence in the first session of the day as the Mumbai batter continued to pile runs in the company of Saini.

Musheer, who resumed from overnight 105, added 76 more runs to his individual score, following the template from the first day of him controlling a large chunk of strike.

Saini too gave him solid support, reaching his second First-Class fifty, as India B went through second successive session without losing a wicket, while adding 88 runs off 30 overs.

But Musheer’s 484-minute stay at the crease ended in the second over after lunch when he clanged Kuldeep Yadav to Parag in the deep.

It also signalled the end of their stunning 205-run partnership, the highest for the eighth wicket in Duleep Trophy history.

Their stand surpassed the 197 runs added for the eighth wicket by Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar in 2010.

Once Musheer departed, India B innings folded quickly as pacer Akash Deep returned with a haul of four for 60.

Brief scores: India B 321 in 116 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 30, Musheer Khan 181, Navdeep Saini 56; Akash Deep 4/60) lead India A 134/2 in 35 overs (Mayank Agarwal 36, Riyan Parag 27, KL Rahul 23; Navdeep Saini 2/36) by 187 runs

India B batter Musheer Khan was at his best against India A on the opening day of Duleep Trophy 2024 as he scored an unbeaten century. Batting at the number three position, Musheer dug in his heels and went on to score an unbeaten 105. After competing his ton, Musheer celebrated it in an aggressive manner. However, more heartening was to see Musheer’s elder brother Sarfaraz Khan, an India player, standing on his feet and clapping for him. The video of the moment has gone viral on social media.

Musheer Khan brings up his

A special celebration and a special appreciation from brother Sarfaraz Khan #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match https://t.co/eQyu38Erb1 pic.twitter.com/92lj578cAs

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 5, 2024

“Musheer Khan brings up his 100. A special celebration and a special appreciation from brother Sarfaraz Khan,” wrote BCCI Domestic while sharing the clip.

Rishabh Pant‘s much-awaited return to red-ball cricket lasted a mere 10 balls and 15 minutes but Musheer’s resolute unbeaten hundred carried India B to a satisfactory 202 for seven against India A on Thursday.

Before Musheer (105 not out, 227b, 10×4, 2×6) and Navdeep Saini (29 not out, 74b, 4×4, 1×6) fought back for India B with a stand of 108 for the eighth wicket, they were in a huge hole at 94 for seven as ‘A’ skipper Shubman Gill made the prudent choice of bowling first under overcast skies.

But Musheer, younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan (9), saved his side from a total collapse with an innings of rare maturity that belied his 19 tender years.

When the right-hander entered the field at No 3 in the 14th over after the fall of Abhimayu Easwaran, the bowlers were right on top as a canopy of dark clouds hung over the Chinnaswamy.

Easwaran, usually a tightly organised batter, played a casual waft outside the off-stump off Avesh Khan and stumper Dhruv Jurel completed a superb diving catch just in front of KL Rahul at first slip.

Musheer had more than one worries to nullify. There was appreciable bounce, carry and movement for the India A pacers, who operated for a large part of the day.

But Musheer tackled each of those difficulties in his own way, as him walking down the track to nullify the movement was a rather curious sight. It was unconventional but was effective on the day.

However, even on a tough day, Musheer, who is making his Duleep Trophy debut, gave glimpse of his elegant self through a wonderful on-drive off Avesh that sped to the fence and a withering cut off left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed (2/39).

There was an element of power too when the right-hander hammered spinner Tanush Kotian for a couple of sixes in an over to move into the 90s.

Musheer received a slice of fortune too when Avesh dropped a regulation chance off his own bowling when the batter was on 69. India B was on 144 for seven then.

The Mumbai lad, who also had a wonderful Under-19 World Cup and Ranji Trophy season, duly brought up his hundred off 205 balls with a single off Kuldeep Yadav, which he celebrated with gusto.

Saini too should be given a pat on his back for showing guts to stay along with Musheer as the India A bowlers lost their sting and direction in the final session of the day.

But before the Musheer-Saini combine dragged them back into the match, several ‘B’ batters were also careless in their shot selection and none exemplified it more than Pant.

His first red-ball stint since December 2022 ended when his effort to cream Akash Deep off a fuller delivery resulted in a leading edge, which Gill converted into a superb running catch.

Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in good touch during his 59-ball 30 that contained six well-executed boundaries, including a crisp cover drive off Khaleel, but a moment of indiscretion ended his stay.

Jaiswal looked to cut Khaleel past the fielder at point, but there was not enough space to play that shot as substitute Shashwat Kumar held on to a fine catch.

Akash then produced the ball of the day to dismiss Nitish Kumar Reddy – the delivery pitched on middle and off moved ever so slightly to knock down the bails as the batter walked back with a first-ball zilch.

Washington Sundar backed up too far to get run out as India B innings hit the free-fall button.

But Musheer and Saini helped India B to carve their best session of the day in the final passage of play to temporarily slip out of trouble.

(With PTI Inputs)