The first match of the Duleep Trophy 2024 began on September 5, Thursday, between India A and India B at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India A skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field first. At the close of Day 1, India B reached 202 for 7 in 79 overs, with Musheer Khan unbeaten at 105 and Navdeep Saini at 29 not out.
Resuming the play on 105, Musheer and Saini forged a record 205-run partnership for the eighth wicket. With this, the duo surpassed the previous Duleep Trophy record of 197-run stand. Musheer showcased an impressive performance, scoring a remarkable 181-run innings that helped India B to reach a first-innings total of 321 on Day 2. The 19-year-old’s innings ended after lunch when he was caught in the deep off Kuldeep Yadav’s delivery. Later, Saini impressed with his new-ball spell and helped restrict India A to 134 for 2. India A are trailing 187 runs at Day 2 Stumps, with KL Rahul (23* off 80 balls) and Riyan Parag (27* off 49 balls) at the crease.
It is worth noting that Saini last played a Test match in January 2021 against Australia in Brisbane. Returning to the red-ball format, the 31-year-old showcased his prowess making crucial breakthroughs. He removed openers Gill (25) and Mayank Agarwal (36). Gill, the India A skipper, was bowled by an in-swinger just before tea after stitching a 57-run stand with Agarwal. Agarwal, who was keen to stake a claim for his return to the national side was later caught down the leg side by Rishabh Pant.
India B’s pace attack, led by Saini, continued to apply pressure on Rahul and Parag. Alongside him, Mukesh Kumar and Nitish Kumar Reddy also delivered tight spells in the second innings of the game. Interestingly, Rahul had a close call when he was dropped at second slip when he scored just three runs. Meanwhile, Parag showed some class with a boundary through the covers.
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
