The audacity of Rishabh Pant, who made a fifty, and Sarfaraz Khan helped India B waddle past persistent India A pacers to post a momentum grabbing second innings total of 150 for six after Day 3 of the Duleep Trophy match in Bengaluru on Saturday. India B are now ahead by 240 runs with Washington Sundar (6) at crease after bowling out their rivals for 231 in their first innings to take a 90-run lead. Pant was the headliner of the day with a 61 off 47 balls (4×9, 6×2). But that lead suddenly looked so feeble when pacers Khaleel Ahmed (2/56) and Akash Deep (2/36) combined to reduce India B to 22 for three inside eight overs, overall lead standing at 132 at that point.

Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and first innings centurion Musheer Khan (0) fell to Akash Deep, while Yashasvi Jaiswal perished to Ahmed, and all three catches were taken by stumper Dhruv Jurel. India B went to tea at 33 for three.

In that context, it would not have been entirely out of place to imagine for Pant and Sarfaraz (46, 36b, 7×4, 1×6) to knuckle down and take their team to safer ports as the ball was still darting around appreciably.

However, both of them were irreverent to the situation, conditions, and bowlers.

The right-left combination hammered 72 runs from a shade over nine overs to tilt the balance of the match completely in favour of their team.

Sarfaraz was brutal on Akash, smoking him for five consecutive fours around the park while Pant neutralised Ahmed with a late cut and punch through the covers that galloped to the fence for boundaries.

Sarfaraz, who was dropped on 28 by Ahmed off his own bowling, creamed a flat six off the left-arm seamer over cover, evoking a wowing response from a good holiday crowd.

But he soon fell to Avesh Khan, snicking a climbing delivery on the off-stump to Jurel behind the wicket.

However, Pant did not slow down at the other end and brought up his fifty in just 34 balls. The left-hander moved from 43 to 49 with an overhead six off Kuldeep Yadav, and a ball later he brought up the mini milestone with a single.

But Pant fell to Tanush Kotian, scooping a simple catch to substitute Kumar Kushagra in his attempt to sweep the spinner.

By that time, Pant, who was tidy behind the wicket, also dispelled any lingering doubt about the first-choice wicketkeeper batter for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.

Earlier, pacers Navdeep Saini (3/60) and Mukesh Kumar (3/62) shared six wickets among them equally as India A were bowled out for 231 after resuming from overnight 134 for two.

Their biggest hope to close the gap with India B was the presence of KL Rahul (37) and Riyan Parag (30).

They looked determined too in their 89-run alliance for the third wicket despite the bowlers giving them some troubles from both ends.

As was the trend in the match, Parag gave a catch down the leg side to Pant off Yash Dayal and Rahul soon followed the suit, missing a sweep off off-spinner Washington to get bowled.

The wicket reduced India A to 169 for five and they had a big distance still to cover.

Shivam Dube (20) played some typically powerful shots, but his edge off Mukesh ended in the hands of Nitish Kumar Reddy at slips as India A went into the lunch at a wobbly 208 for seven.

In the whole of first session, they made 74 runs in 27 overs losing five wickets.

Kotian, a handy lower-order batter from Mumbai, tried to steer the ship with a 71-ball 32, but left-arm spinner Sai Kishore induced a thin edge for Musheer to take a good reflection catch at forward short leg.

It also ended their fight for the innings.

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)