In the second round of the Duleep Trophy at Anantapur, Mumbai’s Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian played pivotal roles in rescuing India A after a strong start by India D’s seamers. Vidwath Kaverappa, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh capitalised on the pitch’s grassy conditions, making early breakthroughs to put India A under pressure.
The pitch, similar to the one used in the first match, favoured the seamers. Kaverappa, initially part of India A before being moved to India D, proved particularly effective. He dismissed Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh early on with disciplined bowling. Agarwal, trying to navigate Kaverappa’s movement, was caught behind, while Pratham Singh was undone by a well-placed bouncer, and caught by Arshdeep Singh.
India A struggled in the early stages, with Tilak Varma adopting a cautious approach while Riyan Parag counter-attacked aggressively. Parag’s quickfire 37 off 29 balls, featuring a stunning six over long-off, provided a brief spark but ended when he was caught at first slip. The dismissals of Varma and Shashwat Rawat left India A reeling at 93/5.
As the morning moisture faded, conditions eased, and Mulani’s unbeaten 88, along with Kotian’s valuable 53, helped India A recover to 288/8 by the end of Day 1. Their 91-run stand for the seventh wicket was crucial in stabilising the innings. Mulani’s resilience and Kotian’s steady scoring brought India A back into the contest, though late strikes from left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh kept the game finely balanced.
Brief Scores: India A 288/8 (Shams Mulani 88*, Tanush Kotian 53, Riyan Parag 37; Vidwath Kaverappa 2/30) vs India D