Duleep Trophy: Rishabh Pant’s counterattacking 61 helps India B take lead to 240 runs

Bengaluru: A counter-attacking 61 by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, where he showed glimpses of his best self with the bat, helped India B extend their lead to 240 runs against India A at stumps on Day Three of their first round match in Duleep Trophy at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

On a day on which 14 wickets fell, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar led the way for India B to take a first-innings lead of 90 after bowling out India A for 231 in 72.4 overs. In their second innings, India B lost three wickets quickly – two of which were taken by Akash Deep.

Under pressure, Pant stitched a stand of 72 runs off 55 balls for the fourth wicket with Sarfaraz Khan (46 off 36 balls) and went to get his first fifty on return to red-ball cricket. But with him and Nitish Kumar Reddy falling in the last 30 minutes meant India A got something to smile, even though India B have a big lead in hand now.

In the morning, resuming from 134/2 in 35 overs, India B found early success as Yash Dayal strangled Riyan Parag down leg, with Pant moving across to his left to complete the catch. Saini came in to trap Dhruv Jurel lbw, followed by Washington Sundar getting some sharp dip and turning to castle a paddle-sweeping K.L Rahul.

Shivam Dube was in hit-and-miss mode during his stay at the crease, before edging to a second slip off Mukesh, who then trapped Kuldeep Yadav lbw. Tanush Kotian showed some fight, but an inside edge popping to the short leg off R Sai Kishore ended his resistance. After Mukesh had Akash caught at short leg, Kishore ended India A’s innings in 72.4 overs by castling Khaleel Ahmed.

In their second innings, India B had a rocky start as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan were strangled down leg off Khaleel and Akash respectively. More troubles followed India B as captain Abhimanyu Easwaran went for a hard drive off Akash, but was caught behind by Jurel, leaving the side at 14/3.

Pant, who made just seven in the first innings, began his counter-attacking act by steering and punching Khaleel for back-to-back fours. Sarfaraz began his rearguard act by hitting five superb boundaries on the trot off Akash after tea. With a full-sleeved shirt and standing a foot outside the crease, Pant continued to showcase good timing on his steer and drive off Khaleel, before reverse-scooping off Akash between the keeper and first slip.

Pant survived when his wild hoick went very high and swirled in the air to land in no man’s land off Akash, despite Jurel running all the way to fine leg for the catch. The Pant-Sarfaraz fun stand continued when the duo took three boundaries off Khaleel, before Avesh Khan put a halt to it by having Sarfaraz caught behind on a cut.

But Pant wasn’t done yet, as he hit Kuldeep Yadav for four boundaries, including dancing down the pitch to smash a six over long-on, before getting his fifty in 34 balls.

It is now Pant’s second-fastest fifty in first-class cricket, with his best effort coming against Sri Lanka at this venue in 2022, where he got his half-century in just 28 balls.

Pant’s entertaining stay at the crease ended when he looked to sweep against off-spinner Tanush Kotian but gave a thick top-edge to diving short fine leg.

Nitish and Washington Sundar hung around before the former poked at a length ball off Khaleel and gave Jurel his fifth catch of the innings, as an absorbing day of Test cricket came to a close.

Brief scores:

India B 321 and 150/6 in 31.4 overs (Rishabh Pant 61, Sarfaraz Khan 46; Akash Deep 2-36, Khaleel Ahmed 2-56) lead India A 231 in 72/4 overs (K.L. Rahul 37, Mayank Agarwal 36; Navdeep Saini 3-60, Mukesh Kumar 3-62) by 240 runs