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India B pacer Mukesh Kumar praised his teammate Abhimanyu Easwaran for his well-constructed knock against India C in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024 game in Anantapur. At the end of Day 3's play (September 14), Easwaran remained unbeaten on 143 off 262 balls, with 12 fours and a six. Meanwhile, India B is at 309/7 and is still trailing by 216 runs.
Batting first, India C saw a terrific performance from their batting unit, as most of them responded well to the opposition's challenge. They posted a mammoth total of 525, with Ishan Kishan (111) and Manav Suthar (82) as the top run-scorers. Mukesh and Rahul Chahar picked up four wickets apiece for India B.
Thereafter, India B were off to an impressive start with a 129-run opening stand between Easwaran and N Jagadeesan (70). However, Jagadeesan's wicket opened the floodgates for India C, as Anshul Kamboj got rid of Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Rinku Singh, and Nitish Reddy in quick successions.
After the culmination of Day 3, Easwaran and Chahar (18*) are at the crease for India B. They certainly need to keep their wickets safe for the entire Day 4 to save the game. It is worth noting that both India B and India C won their first game, and the winner of the tournament will be decided on the basis of first innings lead.
Mukesh Kumar posted a story on Instagram, citing the need for Easwaran's presence on the final day. He also pointed out the fact that the opening batter had been toiling hard in the last three days and hoped that he would continue his good showing. Here's what the right-arm pacer captioned:
"Bhai 3 din se ground me ho aur kal ka din ruk jana bohot tagda khel rahe ho 143*." [Bro, you're there for the last three days on the ground, please stay for another day. You are playing extremely well on 143*.]
For the unversed, Mukesh Kumar and Abhimanyu Easwaran play for the same state, Bengal in the domestic circuit.
Mukesh Kumar has been in good form in 2024
The 30-year-old has been performing well this year, whether it be in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or for the Indian team. Mukesh Kumar was the joint-highest wicket for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024 with 17 scalps.
Thereafter, he ended as the finest bowler in the India-Zimbabwe T20I series with eight wickets in three innings at an exceptional average of 9.37.
