Duleep Trophy 2024: Rishabh Pant played a blistering innings in the Test, India B collapsed in front of Akashdeep

Thanks to wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant's brilliant innings of 61 runs, India B took a lead of 240 runs against India A on the third day of the first round match of the Duleep Trophy at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. On the day 14 wickets fell, India B, led by Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar, took a lead of 90 runs in the first innings by bowling out India A for 231 runs in 72.4 overs. In their second innings, India B lost three wickets early, two of which were taken by Akash Deep. Akashdeep and Khaleel Ahmed's lethal bowling helped India B to be bowled out for 184.

Pant shared a 72-run stand, off 55 balls, for the fourth wicket with Sarfraz Khan and notched up his first half-century on his return to red-ball cricket. But his and Nitish Kumar Reddy's dismissals in the last 30 minutes gave India A something to cheer about, even though India B now have a big lead. Resuming at India A's 134/2 in 35 overs in the morning, India B got an early breakthrough when Yash Dayal had Riyan Parag caught at leg before Pant stepped to his left to complete the catch. Saini had Dhruv Jurel caught LBW, followed by Washington Sundar making a quick leap and dismissing KL Rahul.

While Shivam Dube was in hit-and-miss mode through his stay at the crease, he nicked one to Mukesh at second slip, who then had Kuldeep Yadav caught LWB. Tanush Kotian showed some fight, but his resistance ended when he got an inside edge at short leg off R Sai Kishore. Mukesh trapped Akash at short leg before Kishore sent back Khaleel Ahmed to wrap up India A's innings in 72.4 overs. India B stuttered in the early part of their second innings, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan in similar fashion, caught on the leg side off Khaleel and Akash respectively. Things went further bad for India B when captain Abhimanyu Easwaran tried to drive hard off Akash getting caught by Jurel to reduce the team at 14/3. Akashdeep continued wreaking havoc after that, as the team folded over for 184. Akashdeep finished the figures at 5 for 56.

Counter-attack was launched when Pant, who managed only seven runs in the first innings, hit two consecutive fours off Khaleel. Sarfraz started the innings after tea with five consecutive fours off Aakash's bowling. Pant, all padded up with a full sleeved shirt and standing a foot outside the crease, continued to show his good timing before driving off Khaleel and then reverse-scooping it between keeper and first slip. Pant survived when his wild huck went too high and spun in the air and landed in no man's land off Aakash's bowling although Jurel ran to fine leg for the catch. The Pant-Sarfraz partnership was finallylienated when Avesh Khan had Sarfraz caught off the cut after the duo hit three fours off Khaleel.