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The first round matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy ended with Team B beating Team A by 76 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, September 8. Earlier, Team C got the better of Team D by four wickets at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur.
Sent into bat in Bengaluru, India B put up 321 on the board and then held India A to 231. In the second innings, India B were bowled out for 184 in 42 overs. Set to chase 275, India A were bowled out for 198 in 53 overs as Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B registered an easy win.
In the 2024 Duleep Trophy first-round match played in Anantapur, India C bowled first and bundled out India D for 164 in 48.3 overs. The latter fought back well with the ball to bowl out India C for 168. India D posted 236 in their second innings, but India C chased down the target of 233, losing six wickets in the process.
With the first-round matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy coming to an end, here's a look at three takeaways from the same.
#1 Keep an eye out for Musheer Khan
Young batting all-rounder Musheer Khan was brilliant for India B in match number one of the 2024 Duleep Trophy. He hammered 181 off 373 balls, clubbing 16 fours and five sixes. What stood about the 19-year-old's knock was the fact that it came in the midst of a shocking batting collapse.
Batting first, India B had crumbled to 94-7 inside 44 overs. Musheer, however, lifted the team with a fighting innings, adding 205 for the eighth wicket with Navdeep Saini (56 off 144). Thanks to Musheer's heroics, India B recovered to post 321 and went on to win the contest.
The youngster had earlier impressed in the Ranji Trophy as well for Mumbai. He scored 203* in the quarterfinal against Baroda and 136 in the final against Vidarbha. Before that, he had an excellent U-19 World Cup campaign. Undoubtedly, Musheer is among the young Indian batters to watch out for.
#2 Healthy competition among India's pacers
Injuries to fast bowlers despite workload management have been a concern for the Indian team over the last few seasons. One of the big positives to emerge from the first-round matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy has been the impressive performance of a number of pace bowlers. The healthy competition augurs well for the future of Indian cricket.
Akash Deep, who has been picked in the Indian Test squad for the first match against Bangladesh, was exceptional for India A. He registered figures of 4-60 against India B in the first innings and followed it up with 5-56 in the second. The 27-year-old made his Test debut against England in Ranchi earlier this year, claiming 3-83 in the first innings.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who was part of the India A bowling line-up against India B, chipped in with five wickets. Looking at India B, Mukesh Kumar did well with five scalps, while Saini also claimed five wickets to go with his fifty. Yash Dayal, who has been picked in the Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, also impressed by picking up 3-50 in the second innings.
In the India C vs India D 2024 Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar was the star performer with eight wickets. However, Vijaykumar Vyshak also made an impact with five wickets, while Harshit Rana starred with 4-39 in the first innings for India D.
#3 The significance of Rishabh Pant's fifty
Having recovered from his injuries sustained in a car accident in December 2022, keeper-batter Rishabh Pant made his international comeback during the 2024 T20 World Cup. He also featured in the white-ball series in Sri Lanka, although he could not produce the desired results.
Pant, however, is yet to play a Test match since December 2022. He featured in the game against Bangladesh in Mirpur just days before his horrific accident. Given that Pant is a vital cog in India's Test line-up, it was important for him to get some runs under his belt in the Duleep Trophy.
Representing India B, the left-hander was dismissed for seven off 10 in the first innings. However, he scored a typically aggressive half-century in the second essay, hammering 61 off 47 balls, with the aid of nine fours and two sixes. This was exactly the kind of knock Indian selectors and team management would have been expecting from Pant ahead of his much-awaited Test comeback.
