Sundar stars in India Red’s facile Duleep Trophy win
LUCKNOW: Young Tamil Nadu allrounder Washington Sundar announced his arrival in domestic cricket on Thursday, delivering with the bat and the pink ball to help India Red lift the Duleep Trophy with a 163-run win over India Blue at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium here.
The 17-year-old had made a splash on his Duleep Trophy debut, striking a brilliant 88 to help India Red take a 184-run first innings lead in the five-day final. The teenaged off-spinner then claimed his maiden 10-wicket match haul in firstclass cricket to seal the impressive victory.
The off-spinner had chipped in with his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, finishing with innings figures of 24-287-6 to peg back India Blue.
Sundar made 42 in the second innings and then claimed his second five-wicket haul on Thursday, to complete his first 10-wicket match haul. He finished with 11/181 after capturing 6/87 in the India Blue second innings.
He didn’t look back once he removed opener Ishan Kishan (18) with the second delivery of his third over, as he kept striking at regular intervals. He picked up the prize wickets of Manoj Tiwary (38 -- 73b, 3x4) and skipper Suresh Raina (45 -- 51b, 7x4). Before being trapped leg before almost in similar fashion by Washington, Raina and Tiwary stitched together 80 runs for the third wicket, but it only delayed the inevitable.
But once the two departed in quick succession, the 393-run winning target looked beyond reach of India Blue and spinners Vijay Gohil (3/102) and parttimer Surya Kumar Yadav (1/1) brought the curtains down on India Blue, who were 229 all out in 48 overs. Gohil too had five wickets in the first innings.
Ishant Sharma remained 20 not out, off 40 balls with two fours and a six.
Resuming on their overnight 187/7, India Red’s second innings lasted just 35 deliveries on Thursday afternoon. Washington Sundar (42 -- 135b, 2x4) got out the second ball of the day, edging a regulation catch to Suresh Raina off left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt. The other overnight batsman Siddharth Kaul (17, 34b, 1x4, 1x6) too offered a straight catch to Deepak Hooda of the ambidextrous Akshay Wakhare. India Red were 208 all out in 67.5 overs, stretching their overall lead to 392.
For India Blue, Baroda spinner Bhargav Bhatt claimed four wickets to take his match tally to eight. Akshay Wakhare too finished with eight wickets.
Brief Scores: India Red 483 & 208 (B Indrajith 59, W Sundar 42, B Bhatt 4/77, A Wakhare 4/66) beat India Blue 299 & 229 in 45 overs (S Raina 45, M Tiwary 38, W Sundar 6/87, A Gohil 3/102).