BENGALURU: From the selectors' point of view, the Duleep Trophy serves an important purpose, as it allows them to judge the form of top players and get a good look at greenhorns waiting to get their foot on the door in international red-ball cricket.
This year, the opening round fixtures were meant to be a dress rehearsal for the 10 Test matches India play over the next four months. Some caught the eye, while others failed to grab the opportunity. Rishabh Pant (61), who did little in the first innings, came good with the bat for India 'B' with a half-century on Saturday. Then top-order bat KL Rahul (57; 121; 4x7) got amongst the runs, albeit in a losing cause.
Rahul's teammate Akash Deep also shone, even if his team collectively failed. The 27-year-old pacer, who made his Test debut against England earlier this year, finished with a match haul of nine wickets (4/60 & 5/56). This was before turning in the second-best score for his team, (43; 42b; 3x4; 4x6).
Young Musheer Khan's (181) exploits in the first innings and Pant's crucial innings in the second helped India 'B' set 'A' a target of 275. India 'A' fell short, handing 'B' a 76-run win. The difference really was a plethora of dropped catches that cost India 'A' dearly.
With the bat, the spotlight was on homegrown hero Rahul. In his first essay, he had made a patient if laboured 111-ball 37. At the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday, Rahul showcased a glimpse of his preparedness for the long season ahead.
In tricky conditions, Rahul, whose career has regularly been punctured with injuries, decided to grind it out for three hours. He waited for the loose deliveries and dispatched them to the boundary. There was little sign of the rustiness and hesitation of the first innings.
Kuldeep Yadav had kept him good company, but just when the two appeared poised to pull off a heist through their partnership, Mukesh Kumar struck with an off-cutter that ended Rahul's stay. The top order bat went for a cut but didn't get enough bat and edged it to Pant.
Kuldeep went shortly after and Avesh Khan followed him in quick time. The run out of Akash Deep signalled the win for India 'B'. While 275 was daunting on the surface, India 'A' had the quality in their ranks to pull it off. It was not to be.
Openers Mayank Agarwal and Shubham Gill, who was thrown a lifeline with Nitish Reddy putting down a sitter, could not make their presence count. Gill would be disappointed with his dismissal - an expansive mistimed drive off Navdeep Saini's (2/41) after contributing just 21.
Brief scores: India B 321 (Musheer 181, Saini 56, Akash 4-60) and 184 (Pant 61, Akash 5-56) beat India A 231 (Rahul 37, Mukesh 3-62) and 198 (Rahul 57, Akash 43, Dayal 3-50, Saini 2-41) by 76 runs
