Anmolpreet Singh leads India Blue recovery in Duleep Trophy final

Anmolpreet Singh fell short of a deserving century by four runs but his knock was vital in reviving an India Blue innings that was off to a nervy start on Day 1 of their Duleep Trophy final against India Red at NPR College Ground in Dindigul on Tuesday. At the close of play, India Blue...

Anmolpreet Singh fell short of a deserving century by four runs but his knock was vital in reviving an India Blue innings that was off to a nervy start on Day 1 of their Duleep Trophy final against India Red at NPR College Ground in Dindigul on Tuesday.

At the close of play, India Blue had recovered to post 260/5 with Ricky Bhui unbeaten on 53 with Nikhil Gangta unbeaten on 1.

After opting to bat, India Blue were off to a brisk and solid start with the opening pair of captain Faiz Fazal and wicketkeeper-batsman Smit Patel adding 50 runs. The spin duo of Parvez Rasool (2/65) and Mihir Hirwani (1/75) then got rid of the openers in the space of six runs, leaving them at 56/2.

Dhruv Shorey (18) and Deepak Hooda (26) got the starts and took the score to three figures without further incident. But medium pacer Prasidh Krishna (2/49) and Rasool then struck in quick succession leaving India Blue struggling at 107/4 on a difficult track.

That brought together Bhui and Anmolpreet together and they began stonewalling the attack. The duo built a 144-run stand to ensure India Red didn’t run away with the early advantage. Anmolpreet, however, fell at the fag end of the day, edging Krishna to the wicketkeeper to depart on 96. His innings was laced with 14 fours and a six.

Brief Scores: India Blue: 260/5 (Anmolpreet Singh 96, Ricky Bhui 53*; Prasidh Krishna 2/49, Parvez Rasool 2/65) vs India Red on Day 1