Picking a combined India B and India C playing XI for Duleep Trophy 2024 ft. Ishan Kishan and Musheer Khan
India B are playing India C in the second round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy at Rural Development Trust Stadium B in Anantapur. Both teams won their opening matches. While India B defeated India A by 76 runs, India C beat India D by four wickets.
India B captain Abhimanyu Easwaran won the toss and chose to bowl first. Ruturaj Gaikwad struck the first ball for a four but was retired hurt on the very next delivery.
Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar forged a 92-run partnership before Navdeep Saini dismissed the latter for 40. Two balls later, Sai was out for 43, with Mukesh Kumar taking the wicket. At lunch on Day 1, India C was 121/2 after 29 overs, with Ishan Kishan (20) and Baba Indrajith (1) at the crease.
Meanwhile, in this article, we will select a combined playing XI from India B and India C for the Duleep Trophy 2024.
Top order: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sai Sudharsan, Musheer Khan
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan will open the batting in our combined playing XI, with Ruturaj also serving as captain. Ruturaj retired hurt after hitting a four in the ongoing game. He had scored five and 46 in the previous match against India D. The 27-year-old has accumulated over 2,000 runs in 30 first-class matches, including six centuries.
Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, scored seven and 22 in the previous match. The young left-handed batter made a promising start against India B but couldn’t convert it into a substantial innings, making 43 off 75 balls with eight boundaries. The 22-year-old has accumulated 1,312 runs in 21 first-class games, including four centuries.
Musheer Khan was in excellent form for India B in their first game against India A. The 19-year-old scored 181 runs off 373 balls with the help of 16 boundaries and five sixes in his debut innings in the Duleep Trophy. He was dismissed for a duck in the second innings but won the Player of the Match award for his heroic performance in the first innings.
Middle order/all-rounders: Ishan Kishan (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is back in action after missing the first round of games due to an injury. The southpaw has amassed 3,063 runs in 50 first-class matches, with six centuries to his name. Ishan will be looking to deliver a strong performance to reinforce his chances of returning to the Indian squad.
Sarfaraz Khan, who has been picked for the first game of the Bangladesh series, is currently representing India B in their match against India C. The right-handed batter, who made his India debut earlier this year, scored nine and 46 in the first Duleep Trophy game. The 26-year-old will be looking to play a crucial innings in the second match.
Young all-rounder Nitish Reddy had a difficult first round, scoring only 19 runs across two innings and taking just one wicket. Despite this, he shone in the field, taking a superb catch in the slips to dismiss Mayank Agarwal. At 21, Reddy will be eager to contribute more significantly in all areas in the second game.
Washington Sundar will be looking to bolster his appeal for red-ball cricket. The 24-year-old took two wickets and scored nine runs in the first game. In his four Test appearances for India, Sundar has amassed 265 runs and claimed six wickets.
Manav Suthar was outstanding for India C in their first game against India D. Although he managed only one run and one wicket in the first innings, he made a significant impact in the second innings, taking seven wickets for just 49 runs in 19.1 overs. The 22-year-old also remained unbeaten on 19 off 43 balls in the fourth innings, leading India C to a four-wicket victory.
Bowlers: Navdeep Saini, Sai Kishore, and Mukesh Kumar
Navdeep Saini made a notable impact for India B in their first game against India A. Coming in at 94/7, he forged a crucial 205-run partnership with Musheer Khan for the eighth wicket. Saini scored 56 off 144 balls, including eight boundaries and one six. The right-arm pacer also claimed five wickets in the match.
Sai Kishore also contributed by taking two wickets in the first game for India B. The 27-year-old has appeared in 40 first-class matches, taking 168 wickets, including ten five-wicket hauls.
The final player on the list is pacer Mukesh Kumar. The 30-year-old took five wickets in the first game. Mukesh has appeared in three Test matches for India, claiming seven wickets.