On Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy 2024, India B posted a competitive score of 321, thanks largely to Musheer Khan, whose exceptional 181-run knock almost single-handedly steered the innings. His knock, built with patience and grit over 373 deliveries, accounted for more than 60 percent of his team's total. Complementing Musheer's brilliance, Navdeep Saini contributed a valuable 56 runs from the lower order, further boosting India B's total.
As India A began their reply, Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal provided a steady start, amassing 57 runs in just 14 overs. However, the promising partnership was cut short by the same Navdeep Saini who had impressed with the bat. Saini delivered a fuller-length ball that nipped back sharply, deceiving Gill as he shouldered arms. The ball crashed into the off stump, leaving the India A skipper stunned and sending him back to the pavilion with just 25 runs to his name.
This wasn't the first time when such a delivery deceived Gill. In the World Test Championship final last year, Gill was similarly outfoxed by a delivery that nipped sharply back into the right-hander. In that game, Gill had similarly left the delivery, with the ball castling his stumps.
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As Gill fell early with a dismissal that has been one of his recurring weaknesses, the fans on social media were critical of the India A captain. Here are some of the reactions:
{{/usCountry}}As Gill fell early with a dismissal that has been one of his recurring weaknesses, the fans on social media were critical of the India A captain. Here are some of the reactions:
{{/usCountry}}Gill is one of the integral members of Team India across all formats of the game and was appointed the vice-captain in white-ball formats in July earlier this year. The youngster is now tasked with working on his issues with the ball moving into the right-hander as India embark on a 10-Test long calendar in 2024/25 before the World Test Championship final.
Earlier, the rest of the India B lineup faltered in the first innings, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal managing a notable 30-run contribution before Saini's crucial half-century. Akash Deep claimed four wickets, while Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan chipped in with two wickets each, ensuring that India B's total, although respectable, was not insurmountable.