India A, led by Mayank Agarwal, secured a convincing 186-run victory over India D in the second round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. In a dominant display, India A set the tone by posting a challenging total of 290 runs in their first innings, with solid contributions from the middle order.
In reply, India D faltered and were bowled out for a modest 183 runs, with Devdutt Padikkal standing out as the lone warrior, scoring 92 runs. However, Padikkal received little support from his teammates, which led to the side’s downfall.
In the second innings, India A took control of the game, completely outplaying the Shreyas Iyer-led India D. Opener Pratham Singh led the charge with a brilliant knock of 122 runs, while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 111*. Their partnership, along with a solid 64* from Shashwat Rawat, helped India A declare at a massive 380 runs, setting a formidable target for India D to chase.
Chasing a daunting total, India D lost opener Atharva Taide early in the third over, but Ricky Bhui and Yash Dubey showed resilience, building an important partnership. Bhui fought valiantly, scoring a century, but the India A spinners soon took control. Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani were the stars with the ball, picking up four and three wickets respectively, which ultimately sealed the victory for India A as they bowled out India D well short of the target.
After the match, India D captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that while his team was competitive in the first innings, their inability to handle spin in the final innings led to their defeat. He praised the India A batters for their superb performance, acknowledging the challenge of chasing a target as large as 488.
“We were trailing from then on. The ball turned, and our batters were getting beaten. The way their batters batted in the second innings was superb. 488 on a given day is not an easy task. We’ll look to bounce back in the next game,” Shreyas said in the post-match presentation.
India D will now face India B in their final league game, scheduled to begin on September 19.
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