Duleep Trophy: Sanju Samson helps India D hold sway on opening day of third round

Samson, designated to arrest the mini-slide that saw his team slip from 173 for two to 175 for four, got off the blocks in style to score an unbeaten 89 off 83 balls.

India D’s Sanju Samson in action agaisnt India A during the Duleep Trophy. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

Sanju Samson (89 batting, 83b, 10x4, 3x6) prevented a strong start from slipping away and secured India D the bragging rights on the opening day of its third-round Duleep Trophy fixture against India B at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B-ground in Anantapur on Thursday.

Designated to arrest the mini-slide that saw his team slip from 173 for two to 175 for four, the Kerala batter got off the blocks in style, punching the second delivery he faced from leg-spinner Rahul Chahar off his back foot through extra cover.

Samson was unforgiving of width which Mukesh Kumar learnt when he was packed through point with a square drive and cut.

He left room for the audacious too, upper-cutting Navdeep Saini over the wicketkeeper – a part of a 12-run heist that included a cover drive and straight drive in the same over. He breached the fence through mid-wicket in Saini’s next over to secure a 49-ball half century.

Samson, however, saved the highlight for off-spinner Washington Sundar, who was dispatched for 16 runs in one over via an inside-out loft for four runs, and two sixes clearing covers and long-off.

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Saransh Jain stuck around, picking boundaries through covers and mid-wicket against right-arm seamer Mohit Avasthi, and got India D to 306 for five at Stumps.

Samson’s effort built on the 105-run opening wicket partnership between Devdutt Padikkal (50, 95b, 8x4) and K.S. Bharat (52, 105b, 9x4), which otherwise looked to be going in vain when Chahar accounted for Nishant Sindhu and Shreyas Iyer in consecutive overs.

Padikkal and Bharat survived umpteen play-and-misses outside the off-stump as Mukesh, Avasthi and Saini got the ball to move off the surface in the fist hour.

The early caution, however, gave way to intent when Nitish Kumar Reddy went too full in length. Padikkal picked a length delivery at his pads and chipped it over mid-wicket before getting another boundary through mid off. India B was convinced it had the southpaw when Suryakumar Yadav pouched his edge at second slip off Saini. A third-umpire check, though, stated the ball had bounced in front of the cordon.

Padikkal eventually squandered his start when he was caught behind fishing way outside the off against Saini. Bharat’s stay was ended by a Mukesh bouncer that took his glove and presented itself to the wicketkeeper.

Ricky Bhui (56, 89b, 8x4) continued his rich vein of form in the tournament and carried the momentum until he could not resist swatting a half-tracker from Chahar and holing out to mid-on.