Ishan Kishan made the biggest impact on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy 2024 second-round fixtures in Anantpur on Thursday. The returning wicketkeeper smashed a brilliant century to help India C post a big total of 357/5 at the end of the day's play against India B at Rural Development Trust Stadium B.
Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C displayed impressive batting with the top order contributing crucial runs to provide a strong start. Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar departed after reaching their 40s but Ishan and Babar Indrajith then pulled off 189 runs for the third wicket to keep India C on track for a big total.
Ishan top-scored with 111 runs off just 126 balls to register his seventh First-Class hundred. He quickly departed after his century but Indrajith scored another big fifty and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad added a quick 46* run in the closing stages to help India C score an impressive total of 357/5 in 79 overs.
In the second fixture at Rural Development Trust Stadium, India A made a strong comeback after an early collapse against India D. The returning Karnataka pacer Vidwath Kaverappa gave India D an impressive start with early wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh.
Once again Riyan Parag failed to convert his good start into a big innings. Rajasthan Royals' batting all-rounder scored quick 37 runs before getting dismissed by Arshdeep Singh. Middle order batters Kumar Kushagra and Shaswat Rawat also failed to contribute but India A made a stunning comeback through spin all-rounders Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian.
Both Mumbai spinners scored impressive fifties to display their batting skills and took India A to a challenging total of 288/8 in 82 overs at the end of Day 1. Mulani top-scored with 88* off 174 while Tanush added 53 runs before losing his wicket to Saurabh Kumar.
In bowling, once again pacers made an impact in Ananthpur with Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Kaverappa taking two wickets each for India D. For India B, the experienced Mukesh Kumar claimed three wickets after being dropped from India's squad for the first Test against Bangladesh last week.
