Duleep Trophy | Abhimanyu’s unbeaten century deflates India-C bowlers

Sheet-anchor: Pujara’s tips seemed to have worked wonders for Abhimanyu.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

S. Prasanna Venkatesan

ANANTAPUR: Indian Test cricket’s long-standing thereabout-man Abhimanyu Easwaran may well have applied his takeaways from his cherished chat on single-mindedness with Cheteshwar Pujara, as he anchored his team’s innings with attritional batting at the Rural Development Trust (RDT) Stadium B-ground on Saturday.

His unbeaten 143 (262b, 12×4, 1×6) helped India-B end the third day of the second-round Duleep Trophy match on 309 for seven, still 216 runs behind India-C.

His opening partner Jagadeesan, who was caught behind off medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj on 70 (137b, 8×4), would suggest to the umpire that he didn’t edge or glove and agitatedly walk off; brothers Musheer and Sarfaraz Khan would fall cheaply, leg- before wicket to Kamboj; Rinku Singh would play it in the air to be caught by Ishan Kishan off Kamboj at mid-off; Nitish Kumar Reddy would get his off-stump uprooted by Kamboj; Kamboj would take a few moments to celebrate his maiden first-class five-for. All through, Abhimanyu was simply unsusceptible as he brought up his 24th first-class hundred off 178 balls.

He was a dutiful skipper imparting inertia to the rhythm of play to get his team to safety. At times, the play was overwhelmingly inert. Like, when Abhimanyu batted with Sarfaraz (16, 55b, 1×4).

Ishan Kishan and Sai Sudharsan generated some excitement, bowling an over each. India-C was hamstrung by Sandeep Warrier’s absence. The pacer walked off with an apparent injury on his left leg on Wednesday and hasn’t returned since. Kamboj and Vijaykumar Vyshak had to bear the extra pace-bowling workload.

It would have been a relief for Vyshak when he finally got a breakthrough – Sai Sudharsan took a sharp low catch at silly mid- on to dismiss Sundar (13, 39b).

At stumps, the pacers were seemingly exhausted. Abhimanyu may have been tired as well. But he would have been satisfied with his exertion, nonetheless.

The scores:

India-C — 1st innings: 525.

India-B — 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran (batting) 143, N. Jagadeesan c Porel b Kamboj 70; Musheer Khan lbw b Kamboj 1; Sarfaraz Khan lbw b Kamboj 16; Rinku Singh c Ishan b Kamboj 6; Nitish Kumar Reddy b Kamboj 2; Washington Sundar c Sai Sudharsan b Vyshak 13; Sai Kishore lbw Markande 21; Rahul Chahar (batting) 18; Extras (b-9, lb-5, w-1, nb-4): 19; Total (for seven wkts. in 101 overs): 309.

Fall of wickets: 1-129, 2-133, 3-175, 4-190, 5-194, 6-237, 7-283.

India-C bowling: Warrier 1.1-0-8-0, Vyshak 23-5-67-1, Kamboj 23.5-7-66-5, Markande 18-0-59-1, Suthar 33-4-85-0, Ishan 1-0-7-0, Sai Sudharsan 1-0-3-0.