Duleep Trophy 2024/25, IND-C vs IND-D 2nd Match Report, 5 – 8 September 2024
India C 91 for 4 (Porel 32*, Rana 2-13, Axar 2-16) trail India D 164 all out (Axar 86, Vyshak 3-19, Kamboj 2-47) by 73 runs Axar Patel enhanced his credit as one of the country’s most important all-rounders on the first day of the Duleep Trophy, who scored a remarkable half-century to get India D out of serious trouble in Anantapur. He then returned to claim two wickets in two overs as well to ensure that a game that could have eluded his team now remains in the balance. Anantapur has more than lived up to its reputation as a fast bowler friendly place. A wicket fell in the very first over, setting the trend early in the game as India C, opting to bowl, tore through the opposition’s top order to remain at 34 for 5. It was difficult even for fringe players of the Indian Test team like Shreyas Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal finished with scores of 9 and 0. Karnataka fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak was responsible for much of that damage and the threat he posed continued throughout the day. He finished with numbers of 12-3-19-3. Into this mire stepped Axar, batting at No. 7 but facing the new ball with barely 11 overs completed. He has made some telling contributions out of the order for India in Test cricket, although he hasn’t always been put in a bad situation like this when playing international cricket. Axar responded with aggression, scoring 86 off just 118 balls with six fours and six sixes. He took care of India D’s lower order, putting on an 84-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Arshdeep Singh (13). But for all his good work, he could only take his team to a total of 164. India C also got off to a poor start, with B Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad becoming the seventh and eighth players to reach single-figure scores on a day when 14 wickets fell. Harshit Rana took them both in his opening spell and went to the stumps with figures of 7-5-13-2. Axar built on those early wickets as he was brought to bowl and struck twice in two overs. Among those he sent back was Rajat Patidar, who is known for his anti-spin pull game and used it to help his team recover from those early knocks. India C went to stumps on 91 for 4, still trailing by 73 runs.
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