Ruturaj Gaikwad’s India C edged past Shreyas Iyer-led India D in a low-scoring thriller at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. On a pitch which offered assistance for both the batters and the bowlers, India C chased down 233 with four wickets in hand.
Abishek Porel held his composure to drive his team home after jitters in their run-chase. They were cruising well at 165/2 with Rajat Patidar and Aryan Juyal well set but Saransh Jain, who had taken out both the openers before, got two more wickets to add spice to the contest. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel got a wicket each as the match swung on its pendulum. However, a cool-headed knock of 35 from Porel took India C home.
The third day began with India D holding their noses ahead of their C teammates. They were at 206/8 at the start of the third day with Axar Patel in the middle on 11. However, the all-rounder Axar, who was the saviour in the first innings, could accumulate 16 more runs before falling to Hrithik Shokeen on 27.
The team added only 30 runs to their overnight total, setting a fightable but not a big target for the C side.
More to follow…