Internet Desk: India Blue added 371 runs to their overnight score, before being bowled out for 707 in the first innings at the end of the second day’s play in their Duleep Trophy match against India Green. While Cheteshwar Pujara (166) ensured that the team capitalised on the record 212-run opening stand between Mayank Agarwal (161) and Gautam Gambhir (90), Sheldon Jackson boosted the total with a quick paced 105 before being the last batsman to get out at night.
Earlier, Pujara, who had come to the crease after the departure of the captain, batted steadily in his trademark style to help add 206 runs to the overnight score before being sent back by Shreyas Gopal. Resuming the innings on 63, the No 3 batsman went about the task with precision. Batting at an unhurried pace, he helped maintain the upper-hand.
Meanwhile at the other end, during the fifth over of the day, Abhimanyu Mithun was caught by Murali Vijay at midwicket, but survived as Jasprit Bumrah had once again bowled a no-ball. In the following over, the night-watchman hit the ball back to the bowler, but Ashoke Dinda missed the opportunity and he survived for a second time while on 10. The batsman went on to add 22 runs to his total before edging Shreyas to the slips where Robin Uthappa took the catch.
In the company of Dinesh Karthik, Pujara then notched up his 32nd first-class century with a single to square-leg off Shreyas. While stand-in captain, Parthiv Patel marshalled, in the absence of Suresh Raina, who had sustained an ankle injury and hence did not take the field on Day 2 toiled to curb the India Blue batsmen, Pujara took the team to Tea at 432 for four with Dinesh.
While the bowlers continued to toil, the fifth-wicket partnership between Pujara and Karthik flourished in the second session. The batsmen took on the bowlers and garnered runs at a quicker pace to up the tempo. However, Karthik who was in good nick as he lofted Jalaj Saxena over long on and later in the over sent him to the third man was dropped by Bumrah at mid-off off Dinda. However, the lapse didn’t cost India Green anything. In the pacer’s next over, the delivery took the edge of the bat as Parthiv took a superb catch behind the stumps to end the stand for 108.
Sheldon Jackson, who then came out to bat too took on the bowlers with gusto. He slammed Ojha for two sixes in an over, stepping out to the spinner to hit him straight for the second one. The pair had added 46 runs at over five runs an over before Shreyas dislodged Pujara’s bails with a googly. Although they lost the key wicket of Pujara a bit before dinner, India Blue had added 116 runs in 29 overs in the session to take the team two runs short of the 550-run mark.
In the final session, as India Blue looked to pile on runs, Shreyas knocked back Parvez Rasool’s stumps to leave the team on 580 for the loss of seven wickets. Sheldon, however continued to plunder runs off the India Green bowlers with Karn Sharma to take the team past the 600-run mark. Continuing to milk the bowlers, Karn too posted a half-century while Sheldon was closing in on his ton. The pair’s century stand was the fourth in the innings. It is the first time that there were four century partnerships in an innings in the Duleep trophy.
With India Blue comfortably placed on 688, Shreyas trapped Karn lbw for 57 to pick his fourth wicket of the innings. Sheldon soon reached his century with a boundary off Shreyas and took the team past 700 runs as they looked to bat the opposition out of the game. With the end of day’s play in sight, Saxena claimed Mohit Sharma, while Shreyas accounted for Sheldon who ended up hitting the ball to long-on to drawn curtains on the innings.
Brief scores: Day 1 – India Blue 1st inn 336/3 in 90 overs (M Agarwal 161, G Gambhir 90, C Pujara 63*, A Dinda 1/54, J Bumrah 1/61)
Day 2 – India Blue 1st inn 707/10 in 176.3 overs (C Pujara 166, S Jackson 105, K Sharma 57, S Gopal 5/173)