On the opening day of their Duleep Trophy match against India C, here on Thursday, India A amassed 224 for seven thanks to a remarkable comeback lead by Shashwat Rawat, who scored an undefeated 122.
Only Shams Mulani (44 off 76), who bats left-handed for Baroda in local cricket, provided support for the left-hander when India A was reduced to 36 for five in the 20th over.
The captain Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, and centurion Pratham Singh all scored single digits in the previous game. Anshul Kamboj, the pacer for India C, was once again the team’s most valuable bowler after taking eight wickets in one innings last week.
Rawat, who amassed 15 fours in his undefeated 235-ball effort, had a knock to remember. Throughout his magnificent innings, the graceful southpaw produced a variety of wonderful strokes, such as reverse sweeps off the spinners and cover drives.
After helping the squad win the previous game with the bat, bowling all-rounder Mulani again came to the team’s aid with the bat in a crucial 87-run partnership.
On day two, India C, who currently top the Duleep Trophy rankings with nine points, will want to dismiss India A as soon as possible.
India Agarwal, the captain, has not had a memorable tournament, and on Thursday, his poor performance continued. The same is true for Riyan Parag, who made many promises but hasn’t been able to commit time to the midfield.
Brief scores: 224/7 in 77 overs (Shashwat Rawat 122 batting, Shams Mulani 44; Anshul Kamboj 3/40, Vijaykumar Vyshak 2/33).
