Abhimanyu Easwaran may well have applied his takeaways from his cherished chat on single-mindedness with Cheteshwar Pujara, as he anchored his team’s innings with attritional batting at the Rural Development Trust (RDT) Stadium B-ground on Saturday.
His unbeaten 143 (262b, 12x4, 1x6) helped India B end the third day of the second-round Duleep Trophy match on 309 for seven, still 216 runs behind India C.
His opening partner Jagadeesan was caught behind off medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj on 70 (137b, 8x4), suggesting to the umpire that he didn’t edge or glove before agitatedly walking off. Brothers Musheer and Sarfaraz Khan fell cheaply, leg before wicket to Kamboj.
Rinku Singh played the ball in the air and was caught by Ishan Kishan off Kamboj at mid-off. Nitish Kumar Reddy got his off-stump uprooted by Kamboj, and the latter took a few moments to celebrate his maiden first-class five-for. All through, Easwaran was unsusceptible as he brought up his 24th first-class hundred off 178 balls.
He was a dutiful skipper, imparting inertia to the rhythm of play to get his team to safety. At times, the play was overwhelmingly inert - for example, when Easwaran batted with Sarfaraz (16, 55b, 1x4).
Kishan and Sai Sudharsan generated some excitement, bowling an over each. India C was hamstrung by Sandeep Warrier’s absence. The pacer walked off with an apparent injury on his left leg on Friday and hasn’t returned since. Kamboj and Vijaykumar Vyshak had to bear the extra pace-bowling workload.
It would have been a relief for Vyshak when he finally got a breakthrough - Sudharsan took a sharp low catch at silly mid-on to dismiss Washington Sundar (13, 39b).
At stumps, the pacers were seemingly exhausted. Easwaran may have been tired as well. But he would have been satisfied with his exertion, nonetheless.
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