Duleep Trophy: Ricky Bhui nears a century, Shreyas Iyer shines with a fifty as India D strengthen their position against India B

NEW DELHI: India D encountered an early setback in their second innings, with their score reading 18 for 3 within the first four overs. Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Bhui then led a counter-attack, putting together 75 runs in just over ten overs.

India D took a commanding lead of 311 runs against India B at the end of the third day in their Duleep Trophy match. Ricky Bhui was close to scoring another century, remaining not out at 90 runs from 87 balls. India D ended the day at 244 for 5 in their second innings.

Shreyas Iyer also contributed with a solid performance, scoring 50 off 40 balls.

Iyer was caught by Mohit Avasthi off Mukesh Kumar's bowling. Despite conceding 80 runs in his 13 overs, Kumar took three wickets. Iyer's innings included seven fours and a six.

Bhui kept up the aggressive approach and received support from Sanju Samson, who scored 45 off 53 balls. Their partnership for the fifth wicket added 68 runs in 17 overs. Samson's knock featured two sixes and five fours.

Bhui was joined by Assam’s all-rounder Akash Sengupta, who remained unbeaten on 28. They compiled an additional unbroken 83 runs for the sixth wicket in under 13 overs.

Earlier in the day, India B was dismissed for 282, trailing behind India D's first innings score of 349. Washington Sundar was the standout for India B, scoring 87 runs from 140 balls. However, he fell short of a century as other batsmen failed to hold their ground.

Saurabh Kumar played a significant role for India D, taking 5 wickets for 73 runs. Arshdeep Singh, who had taken three wickets, did not add any more to his tally.

By the day's end, India D looked to be in a strong position as they aimed to build an even larger lead.

India D maintained a brisk pace, with a run rate exceeding five and a half runs per over. They now have a realistic chance to push for a win on Sunday if they can add a few more runs in an hour. This would set a target of 375 runs in 75 overs for India B.


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