Duleep Trophy | Ricky Bhui’s solo brilliance falls short as Kotian-Mulani spin duo outclass India D

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

Last Sunday at 2:59 PM

3720

India A defeated India D by 186 runs at Anantapur. Despite initial struggles in batting, India A set a target of 488 runs, with key contributions from Pratham Singh and Tilak Varma while India D faltered under pressure, with Ricky Bhui's lone century not enough to prevent the loss.

‌The overnight pair of Ricky Bhui and Yash Dubey approached the massive chase with caution, focusing on singles and effectively rotating the strike. They built a solid 100-run partnership, advancing the India D score to 95/1 after 29 overs. However, India A made a crucial breakthrough when Dubey was run out in the 30th over. The tension escalated when Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed by Shams Mulani in the 32nd over, giving India D's chase a significant jolt. Despite the setback, Bhui and Shreyas Iyer combined for a 53-run stand, keeping the score moving to 157/3 in 46 overs. Unfortunately, the India D captain couldn’t convert his innings into a big score and was dismissed in the 47th over by Mulani. At lunch, Sanju Samson and Bhui were in excellent form, rapidly advancing the score to 190/4.

After the break, Samson and Bhui continued to lead the charge, with Bhui aiming for a well-deserved century. Samson increased the tempo, aggressively targeting the India A bowlers as the chase remained distant. However, Samson fell short of a half-century, dismissed in the 61st over by Mulani, who claimed his third wicket. With Saransh Jain’s dismissal, India D’s task grew increasingly daunting, requiring 250 runs with just four wickets in hand. The final blow came with Bhui’s departure for 113 off 195 balls. India D's resistance crumbled as India A quickly dismissed Saurabh Kumar, Harshit Rana, and Vidhwath Kaverappa. Ultimately, India D was bowled out for 301 runs, and India A secured victory by 186 runs.

That's massive from Harshit Rana!

pic.twitter.com/KXpHyteZUA
— Gill Bill (@bill_gill76078) September 15, 2024

Huge six breaks window!

Harshit Rana's powerful six shattered the car's wing mirror#DuleepTrophy #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/MtUzjmSn8X
— Pushkar Pushp (@ppushp7) September 15, 2024

Good wicket!

Tanush Kotian gets the centurion! 🙌

A fantastic low catch in the slip by Riyan Parag 👌

Ricky Bhui departs after a brilliant century. India A need 3 more wickets for a win.#DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match ▶️: https://t.co/m9YW0Hu10f pic.twitter.com/W9X4lowCVF
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 15, 2024

Yupe!

What a catch!

Great reflexes on display by Riyan Parag 👏🔥pic.twitter.com/Z58Z7YhsGT
— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) September 15, 2024

Done for the day!

And thats a wrap on proceedings. Riyan Parag gets the last wicket and India D beats India A by 186 runs. @sportstarweb #DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/Rd8ioTh5M9
— Abhishek Saini (@abhisheksainiii) September 15, 2024

Good day at office for India A!

India A takes 6 points. Wins the match comfortably by 186 runs. India A vs India D.#DuleepTrophy #DuleepTrophy2024
— Kanishk Agarwal (@kanishkdabaav27) September 15, 2024

Yes that's it for the day!