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The Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B secured a comfortable 76-run win over India A at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to take the second position in the points table behind India C. While the match was one of the firsts in the revamped Duleep Trophy 2024-25 with the other being India C’s four-wicket win over India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur.
Moreover, the match saw star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant return to red-ball cricket after surviving a major accident, bringing his in-your face cricketing style along with his playfulness. On Day 4 of the match, while India A needed 275 runs to win the match, the Easwaran-led side needed 10 wickets to secure six points. Although the match got intense with time running out from both sides, Rishabh Pant pulled off a stunning catch to put India B a step closer to the win.
Rishabh Pant dives to his left to complete flying catch of Avesh Khan as India B nears victory
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter, who completed catches of Riyan Parag, Shubman Gill, Tanush Kotian, and KL Rahul so far in the innings, then went on to grab another stunner as he dived full length to his left to dismiss Avesh Khan. The moment took place when India B needed two wickets to win, while India A needed 93 runs as Easwaran re-introduced Navdeep Saini into the attack just in the nick of time.
While Sai Kishore dropped Akash Deep on the third delivery of the 51st over, Pant did not let the ball get past from his left side as he grabbed a sensational flying catch to dismiss Avesh Khan. Saini, who bowled a short of a length from round the wicket, had Avesh trying to tuck it around the corner, but managed to glove it behind the stumps. Pant, who was quite impressive behind the wickets, once again showcased his athleticism as he flew to his left to gobble it up.
Watch Rishabh Pant go for full-length dive to dismiss Avesh Khan in Duleep Trophy 2024-25:
Notably, Rishabh Pant completed five catches for India B in the second innings to help his side beat India A at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
