India B openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Narayan Jagadeesan made a confident start with an unbroken partnership of 124 after India C posted a mammoth first-innings total of 525 in their Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur on Friday. At stumps on the second day of the match, Easwaran and Jagadeesan were batting on 51 and 67 respectively, having crossed the team 50 within 15 overs. Still faced with a deficit of 401 runs, the duo of Easwaran and Jagadeesan will look to carry on in the same vein in the third morning, hoping to get as close as possible to the huge total put up by their opponents.
Leading the India B side, seasoned Bengal batter Easwaran made his runs in 91 balls with the help of four fours and a six, while wicketkeeper Jagadeesan faced 126 deliveries and struck eight boundaries during his stay in the middle.
In the 36 overs bowled by them, none of the India C bowlers could taste success as Easwaran and Jagadeesan succeeded in keeping the team’s all 10 wickets intact heading into the third day’s play.
Besides going wicket-less, India C were also forced to take frontline bowler Sandeep Warrier off the attack after the medium pacer suffered an injury at the start of the India B innings.
Warrier had just bowled his seventh delivery of the match when he was taken off due to the injury.
Earlier, the young Manav Suthar excelled with a neat 82 off 156 balls and anchored the India C innings after the departure of the other overnight batter, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (74-ball 58).
After Gaikwad fell for the addition of 12 runs to his individual total, Suthar found an able ally in Anshul Kamboj and the two added 55 runs for eighth wicket to push the India C total past 450.
Kamboj chipped in with a brisk 38 off 27 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes during his breezy knock after Mayank Markande had made a 21-ball 17, even as Suthar continued to impress.
This was the 22-year-old Suthar’s fourth First-Class half-century and first in the Duleep Trophy in his second outing, improving on his fine performance from the previous round.
During his knock that frustrated the India B bowlers after lunch on the second day as they looked to wrap up the India C innings, Suthar struck 11 fours and three sixes.
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (4/73) was the most successful bowler for India C and pacer Mukesh Kumar (4/126) was also among wickets.
On day one, Ishan Kishan (111 off 126 balls) marked his First-Class return after well over a year with a counterattacking hundred, helping India C reach 357 for five.
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