NEW DELHI: Duleep Trophy 2024: Arshdeep Singh shined in the final game, achieving career-best figures of 6 for 40 as India D overwhelmed India B with a 257-run victory to close their Duleep Trophy campaign in Anantapur on Sunday.
Starting the final day at 244 for 5, India D concluded their second innings at 305, setting a challenging target of 373 for India B in slightly over 70 overs.
Arshdeep, along with Aditya Thakare (4/59), bowled continuously for 22.2 overs, reducing Abhimanyu Easwaran’s team to just 115.
Arshdeep also achieved his best match figures of 9 for 90, notably dismissing India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav (16) twice in the same game.
India B captain Easwaran struggled when it mattered most, falling to Arshdeep for 19, caught by Akash Sengupta. Nitish Reddy’s quick 40 off 43 balls was the only significant resistance, helping India B surpass 100.
Eight of India B’s batsmen couldn’t reach double figures. Thus, India B concluded the campaign with seven points from three games, winning one and drawing another with a point for a first-innings lead.
Despite earning six points from the victory, India D will finish last in the campaign after losing their first two games outright.
Arshdeep, who lost out to Yash Dayal for the Test squad as the primary left-arm pacer, left a lasting impression with his ability to move the ball away from right-handers and consistently trouble the top-order.
Ricky Bhui began the day by completing his second century of the tournament, remaining unbeaten after facing 125 balls and hitting 15 fours and three sixes.
India D batted for an additional 14.3 overs in the morning, adding another 61 runs to their total, with Bhui achieving his second consecutive hundred.
Bhui’s performances, with scores of 56 and 119, earned him the Player of the Match honors.
Brief Scores: India D 349 and 305 in 58.3 overs (Ricky Bhui 119, Shreyas Iyer 50, Mukesh Kumar 4/98, Navdeep Saini 3/58). India B 282 and (target 373) 115 in 22.2 overs (Arshdeep Singh 6/40). India D won by 257 runs. Points: India D 6 India B.
