India B’s bowlers staged a commanding performance on the third morning, dismantling the India A batting lineup with precision and relentless pressure.
The lethal duo of Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini spearheaded the attack, snaring five crucial wickets while conceding just 74 runs, leaving India A reeling at 208/7 at lunch in the Duleep Trophy match at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
Mukesh Kumar was the star of the session, expertly exploiting the seam movement with probing deliveries just outside the off-stump. His patience paid off in the second half of the morning, where he tore through India A’s middle order, dismissing Shivam Dube (20) and Kuldeep Yadav (1) in quick succession. Earlier, Yash Dayal had set the tone, catching Riyan Parag (30) down the leg side in just the second over of the day, putting India A on the back foot immediately.
Navdeep Saini added to the mayhem with a delivery that nipped back sharply, trapping Dhruv Jurel (2) plumb in front. But the most significant blow came when Washington Sundar deceived KL Rahul, who was starting to look like the anchor India A desperately needed. Rahul, batting on 37 and seemingly in control, misjudged a paddle sweep with the ball hitting the stumps and shattering India A’s hopes of a strong recovery.
The session was defined by India A’s inability to convert promising starts into meaningful contributions. Rahul’s 37 remains the highest score, and the lack of a solid partnership has left the team in a precarious position.
At lunch, Akash Deep (5 off 16) and Tanush Kotian (16 off 31) were battling to inch the total towards a competitive score, but the lower order faces an uphill task to push beyond 250 and set up something substantial for their bowlers.
With the pitch continuing to favor seamers, India B’s bowlers will be eager to continue their momentum and polish off the tail swiftly. As the teams head into the second session, the pressure will be squarely on India A’s remaining batsmen to dig in, grind it out, and salvage a total that offers their bowlers a fighting chance. UNI BDN AKS
