Duleep Trophy 2024/25, IND-A vs IND-B 1st Fit Fit Record, September 05 – 08, 2024

India B 202 for 7 (Musheer 105*, Jaiswal 30, Saini 29*, Akash 2-28, Khaleel 2-39, Avesh 2-42) vs India A

India B desperately wanted Musheer’s pluck after they had been reduce to measurement through the tempo trio of Khaleel, Akash Deep and Avesh Khan. And he delivered: batting for over 5 hours to eke out an unbeaten 105 that helped elevate India B from 94 for 7 to 202 for 7 at stumps.

Having are available in at No. 3, Musheer briefly noticed the superstars – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant – fall in a heap post-lunch. Whilst batting was once tricky, the wickets in large part got here from photographs triggered through the power the quick bowlers exerted early on.

Abhimanyu Easwaran chased a supply at the 7th or 8th stump. Jaiswal was once stuck someplace in between making an attempt a power and a reduce, and wafted to indicate. Sarfaraz was once trapped lbw taking part in round his entrance pad. Pant was once out to a super operating catch from Shubman Gill at mid-off, to a vanguard off a ball that bounced greater than he can have expected. Apart from for Nitish Reddy, who was once out to an unplayable Akash supply that straightened off the seam to hit the highest of off, the highest order was once in large part liable for their very own undoing.

Musheer soaked all of this in from the opposite finish. The quick-bowling trio many times examined his edges; he will have been out stuck within the slips off Akash, off the second one ball he confronted. All over his first part hour on the crease, he struggled to gauge the zip off a green-tinged floor the place there was once exaggerated seam motion.

In a bid to counter it, Musheer attempted to stroll down the pitch and get outdoor the road to protect. Whilst this wasn’t a foul ploy in theory, he struggled along with his execution early on, particularly with Khaleel and Akash darting the ball each tactics. Even Shivam Dube’s duration balls ducked in quicker than Musheer expected and hit him at the pad whilst he was once at the transfer. He survived a detailed lbw shout on affect.

At lunch, he was once on 6 off 52 balls, apparently undecided of the place his runs would come. However the place others fell having a look to drive the tempo, Musheer fought via passages even if fluency abandoned him and survival gave the impression his handiest choice.

Now and again, Akash was a wrecking ball of power, doing surprising issues off the pitch. The ball to Nitish in his 2d spell was once one such instance. On some other day, Akash will have simply had 3 wickets in his new-ball spell, however on this present day he ended it with figures of 8-3-7-0.

There was once extra of the similar power from Avesh, presented as first trade, as he constructed on that early power through hitting the deck and getting considerable motion off the seam. And this relentless power was once thrust at the batters for a greater a part of the primary two periods.

It wasn’t till the primary signal of spin that Musheer appeared in his convenience zone. He welcomed his Mumbai teammate Tanush Kotian with a gentle paddle. Now and again, Musheer sensed caution indicators to rein himself in, like when a unfastened power off Kuldeep Yadav’s first supply flew extensive of slip. And he briefly dusted himself off to refocus and bat time. And as he did, the fluency returned. Out got here the full-blooded sweeps and the stairs out to loft Kotian with the spin as he charged in opposition to his century.

At one level within the ultimate consultation, with Musheer and Navdeep Saini having batted for over 20 overs, Avesh determined to take the short-ball direction with two males again at the leg facet for the pull. The similar speedy bowlers who had dictated phrases previous within the day now resigned themselves to a ploy that Musheer made glance futile on the finish of a protracted day. There could not had been a larger validation for his efforts.

As Musheer whipped his helmet off and appeared skywards, liberating his pent-up feelings and waving his bat to the dressing room after citing his 3rd top notch century, Sarfaraz was once a number of the first to leap out of his seat in applause. It was once a poignant second, too; for the easier a part of the ultimate 4 seasons, Musheer has finished the entire applauding. It was once now time for the massive brother to go back the favour, and he was once very happy to oblige.

Musheer is handiest 19 and has larger demanding situations forward of him. However up to now, he is proved, whether or not at Mumbai or to the nationwide selectors who passed him a Duleep Trophy debut, that he is totally at house on the deep finish.