New Delhi: Prasidh Krishna and Tanush Kotian starred with the ball as India A defeated India C in a nil-biter at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh to win the Duleep Trophy 2024 title. Prasidh and Kotian picked up a three-wicket haul apiece to help India A bundle out India C for 217 runs in their 350-run chase in the second innings and wrap up a thrilling win for their side.
Three teams were in contention to win the Duleep Trophy 2024 heading into the final day of the tournament on Sunday. India B slipped to a defeat against India D to crash out of the title race, leaving India A and C to battle it out for the trophy. Sai Sudarshan waged a lone battle for India C and kept them in the hunt till the end with a gritty hundred but failed to find support from the other end.
Requiring only a draw to win the title, India’s C hopes were pinned on Sudarshan after they lost half their team for 178 runs in the 350-run chase on Sunday. Sudharsan played a brilliant knock of 111 runs and kept defying the India A bowlers until Prasish got the better of the left-hander in the 78th over to put India A on the cusp of victory.
Prasidh dismissed an injured Babar Indrajth before getting the better of the last man standing Anshul Kamboj to complete his 3-fer and power India A to victory. Agarwal, who replaced Shubman Gill as captain after the latter joined the Indian team for the Bangladesh series, won his first Duleep Trophy title as captain.
A look at top performers from Duleep Trophy 2024:
1) Abhimanyu Easwaran
India B skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran bounced back strongly after his poor show in his team’s opener against India A to finish the tournament as the second-highest run-getter with 309 runs from 3 matches. Easwaran slammed a match-saving ton against India C followed by another century against India D in his side’s last game of the tournament.
Showcasing his class and determination once again in red-ball cricket, Easwaran’s impressive show in the Duleep Trophy once again left many wondering why he is not in the scheme of things for India in Test cricket yet.
2) Ricky Bhui
Andhra batter Ricky Bhui made the most of the Duleep Trophy season at home as he performed consistently for Shreyas Iyer-led India D. Bhui started the tournament slow with scores of 4 and 44 in India D’s opener against India C. However, he found his mojo with a terrific century against Indi A in his side’s next game.
Bhui slammed a brilliant knock of 113 runs in Anantpur but couldn’t help his team India C avoid defeat against Agarwal’s men. The Andhra batter continued his fine form in India’s D final game against India B with a half-century and a ton in the two innings respectively. Bhui finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 359 runs from 3 matches.
3) Anshul Kamboj
Haryana all-rounder Anshul Kamboj, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was one of the finds of the tournament. Kamboj was exceptional with the ball as he finished the tournament with 16 wickets. The pacer bagged the top spot on the list of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament with his 16 scalps.
Kamboj delivered a sensational spell for his team India C in their clash against India B where he picked up an 8-wicket haul to record his best-ever figures in domestic cricket. The Haryana pacer became only the 3rd bowler in history to take an 8-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy.
4) Ruturaj Gaikwad
India C captain Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to inspire his team to the title despite coming close but was among the runs consistently. Gaikwad was among the players to watch out for in the red-ball tournament, having already proven his mettle in the domestic circuit. He didn’t disappoint as the India C skipper finished with 232 runs from 3 matches at an average close to 39.
Gaikwad got the starts but would be disappointed for not being able to convert them into big scores. The right-hander has been in the scheme of things for India and will hope to continue his consistent run to earn his maiden call-up in Test cricket.
5) Sanju Samson
Despite missing the first round of the tournament, wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson managed to do enough to find a mention on this list. The Team India star had a poor start after getting dismissed cheaply on 5 runs in his first innings for India D. However, Samson played a fine counter-attacking knock of 40 runs in the second innings against India A to return among the runs.
He continued his sublime run with the willow in India D’s final game against India B with a brilliant century. He scored 106 runs in the first innings and followed it up with a valuable 45-run knock in the second to help India D beat India B by 257 runs to bag their only victory in the tournament. Samson finished the tournament with 196 runs from two matches at an average of 49 and an impressive strike rate of 95.61 to showcase his class and calibre.
Mayank Agarwal-led India A defeated Ruturaj Gaikwad’s India C in a nail-biter to lift the Duleep Trophy 2024 title on Sunday, September 22. Here is a look at the the top performers from the tournament. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
