Duleep Trophy: India A’s late surge beats India C & clinch trophy as Prasidh Krishna & Tanush Kotian upstage Sai Sudharsan ton | Cricket News
When Anshul Kamboj, the last India C batsman, took a last-gasp review, the India A players had begun scurrying for souvenir stumps. Some were dancing to the beats of a drum-band in the stands, when the umpires gestured to them to stop their celebrations and plant the stumps back. Their collective gaze turned to the miniature screen on the corner of the ground, where a few impatient government officials were badgering the guards to let them enter the ground and drag the players for selfies.
But after the first replay, everyone in the ground — a few boerous thousands — knew Kamboj was as adjacent as he could be and India A had won the game – 132 runs – as well as the tournament. When the small screen upheld the decision, they hunted for the stumps again, in an exuberant release of pent-up nervous energy. Few would have anticipated India C’s dramatic collapse in the final session.
The game was meandering to a draw before India A pulled it back with the dint of their self-belief. Pursuing a formidable 350, India C had little cause for concern when they parted for tea. The scoreboard read 169 for three; Sai Sudharsan was batting serenely on 79. With Ishan Kishan around and Abhishek Porel to follow, they could well imagine an outside victory charge too.
But during the break, India A captain Mayank Agarwal fired up his troops. Recounts Prasidh Krishna, the last-session hangman with three wickets, including that of Sudharsan: “A lot of credit should go to him (Agarwal). He pulled us over and said that we could still win the game if we bowl and field well. At least, we should give everything. There was a bit of assance still for the bowlers and we should push for the win.”
Led Agarwal, they came out spirited. Only 15 balls into the session, off-spinner Tanush Kotian produced a fizzing off-break that kissed Kishan’s outstretched bat on its way to the wicketkeeper. The mechanics of the ball — the symphony of drift and turn — would fascinate purs. A slide sniffed around the corner. Agarwal and Co upped their vocal energy, fielders sprung around, aggressive fields were set, and bowlers threw caution to the wind. India C blinked.
Four runs later, Kotian conjured another flighted beauty, which Abhishek Porel chipped to mid-off after misjudging the drop of the ball, as Agarwal leapt sideways to pouch the dipping catch. In quick succession, Pulkit Narang (caught and bowled Kotian after the ball ricocheted off the short-leg fielder’s shin guard) and Manav Suthar (caught off a full toss) perished too, raising hopes of an India A victory.
Stumbling block
But at the other end, Sudharsan was batting with calm authoring and completed a gleaming hundred. He validated the hype around him as a future all-format batsman with an un-fussed knock, all delectable drives and stout defensive shots. He seemed impenetrable throughout his 111 off 206 balls, glazed with 11 fours. Kotian was purchasing turn, the seamers were making the odd ball grip off the surface. But the left-hander remained unperturbed before the flurry of wickets. “As long as he batted, we knew they would draw the game. So the plan was to target his partners,” Prasidh admitted.
But the plan to keep him off strike inadvertently ended up in Sudharsan’s own downfall. “I decided to bowl bouncers. If he hooks or pulls, so be it, boundaries did not matter at that stage. We just wanted to bowl at the rest,” Prasidh, returning from a lengthy injury layoff, said.
The gangly seamer banged a ball in his own half of the pitch. It climbed awkwardly to Sudharsan. In his endeavour to keep it down, he ended up ballooning the shot to square leg, where Kotian snaffled him with a sliding catch. This seemed the match point.
But the injured Baba Indrajith hobbled to help guide his side to safety. All he lasted was for two balls, caught at leg-slip off another innocuous short ball.
The revelry had begun, but time was running out. The match crawled beyond the scheduled close of play and light was fading. Kamboj and Gaurav Yadav were egging each other on after every wicketless ball. India A realised that short balls were not working. The last pair was only getting beaten or leaving on length. Prasidh then slipped a quick fuller ball that detonated the pads of Kamboj, who was later adjudged man of the tournament for his penetrative bowling.
But here he was too late to bring his bat down. Kamboj knew his fate and the review only delayed the inevitability of an unprecedented victory.
Brief Scores:
India A 297 (Rawat 124; Vyshak 4-51) and 286/8 declared (Parag 73, Rawat 53; Gaurav 4-68) beat India C 234 (Porel 82; Aaqib 3-43, Avesh 3-64) and 217 (Sudharsan 111; Kotian 3-47, Prasidh 3-50) 132 runs
