By the end of Day 2 of their Duleep Trophy match in Bengaluru on Friday, Navdeep Saini had made a compelling argument for his comeback to the national team with an outstanding new-ball stint that saw hold India A to 134 for two.
On Day 2 of their Duleep Trophy match, Navdeep Saini’s powerful new-ball performance helped India B restrict India A to 134 for two. Before that, Musheer Khan’s outstanding 181-run innings had propelled India B to a first-innings total of 321. Day 2 of the round 1 match saw India A trailing India B by 187 runs at stumps, with KL Rahul (23 off 80 balls) and Riyan Parag (27 off 49 balls) at the crease.
After missing out on a Test match in 2021, Saini made a big splash when he returned to the red-ball format by dismissing Mayank Agarwal (36), as well as India A captain Shubman Gill (25). After the right-hander had shown glimpses of brilliance with the bat, the two openers had contributed 57 runs until Saini struck just before tea, sending Gill’s stumps cartwheeling with an in-dipper.
Agarwal appeared at ease during his knock, keen to prove his worth after being benched after the 2022 Pink Ball Test match against Sri Lanka. Still, Saini was the difference-maker once more, tricking Agarwal into a wayward shot down the leg side that was expertly saved by a diving Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
Saini’s India B quicks continued to put pressure on Rahul and Parag. Saini was matched by Mukesh Kumar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made him work hard for every run with their crisp, probing spells. Especially Rahul weathered a few nerve-wracking moments, such as a dropped catch at second slip when he was on three. Although he had to control his innate aggression, Parag showed some class with a brilliant drive past Saini’s covers.
Saini’s India B quicks continued to put pressure on Rahul and Parag. Saini was matched by Mukesh Kumar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made him work hard for every run with their crisp, probing spells. Especially Rahul weathered a few nerve-wracking moments, such as a dropped catch at second slip when he was on three. Although he had to control his innate aggression, Parag showed some class with a brilliant drive past Saini’s covers.
Shortly after noon, Musheer eventually broke his fast as he fell victim to Riyan Parag’s deep ball off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. After being dismissed, there was a rapid collapse in which Akash Deep cleaned up the tail, finishing with figures of four for sixty. The match remained evenly balanced despite India B’s final collapse thanks to Musheer’s heroics and Saini’s new-ball prowess; India A would need to work hard to make up the 187-run deficit.
Brief scores: India B leads India A 134/2 in 35 overs (Mayank Agarwal 36, Riyan Parag 27, KL Rahul 23; Navdeep Saini 2/36) by 187 runs after scoring 321 in 116 overs (Muheer Khan 181, Navdeep Saini 56, Akash Deep 4/60, Yashasvi Jaiswal 30).
