Hanuma Vihari hammered an unbeaten 95 off 76 balls as India B beat India A by eight wickets in the rain-hit opening match of the Deodhar Trophy on Sunday. India B made full use of the conditions after opting to field, dismissing the A side for 178 in 41.2 overs. From 42 for four, it was a recovery of sorts for India A who could have been bundled out for less than 100 if it was not for the effort of Ricky Bhui (78).
Rain stopped play when India A were 51 for four in 14 overs. At resumption, the match was reduced to 43 overs a side. Bhui's valiant effort did not prove to be enough as India B chased down the revised target of 175 in just 26.2 overs.
Vihari was in red-hot form and got good support from captain Shreyas Iyer (28 not out) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (43). During the chase, Vihari was unstoppable smashing 16 fours and a six.
He was unlucky to miss out on a deserving hundred by five runs. Mohammad Shami, playing for India A, leaked 49 runs in six overs and took a wicket.
The clinical batting performance from India B came after an all-round bowling show.
Pacers Umesh Yadav (2/28) and Siddharth Kaul (2/39) provided the breakthroughs upfront before left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (4/36) inflicted more damage.
Barring Bhui, none of the batsmen could cross 30. U-19 stars Shubman Gill (5) and Prithvi Shaw (28) also could not contribute much to the total.
