Musheer Khan rescued India B with a gutsy century (105 batting, 227b, 10x4, 2x6) on day one of its Duleep Trophy encounter against India A at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
From a precarious 94 for seven, the 19-year-old and Navdeep Saini (29 batting, 74b, 4x4, 1x6) staged a remarkable rescue act, putting on 108 runs (212b) for the eighth wicket.
Though only 202 runs were scored on Thursday, Musheer, coming in at 33 for one, ensured that the breeding boredom would not consume him.
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Musheer stonewalled in expert fashion in the initial part of his innings. Even as the speed trio of Akash Deep, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan bowled probing lengths, the teenager walked down the track confidently to smother the swing and movement off the surface. So patient was he that he had made just 10 from 66 balls when his first boundary arrived.
But once he adjusted, he embellished his innings with some delightful shots. After reaching his half-century, Musheer cut Avesh for two fours past point and hoisted off-spinner Tanush Kotian for two leg-side maximums.
He reached his third First-Class hundred with a nudged single off Kuldeep Yadav and celebrated with a big roar, whose resonance matched with that of his elder brother Sarfaraz, who gushed with pride in the dressing room.
Earlier, after being asked to bat, openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30, 59b, 6x4) safely negotiated the first hour. Even as both batters fell slashing outside off-stump, a score of 65 for two at Lunch seemed solid.
But it soon proved a mirage as Avesh trapped Sarfaraz in front before Akash sent Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy back off consecutive deliveries.
Pant was caught superbly by Shubman Gill running backwards from mid-off while Nitish was cleaned up with a peach that straightened a tad to clip the top of off-stump.
When Washington Sundar was run out at the non-striker’s end after having backed up too far, and R. Sai Kishore was caught in the cordon, the wheels were coming off (94 for seven). But Musheer and Saini kept the India A wolves at bay, to live and fight another day.
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