India A’s target of a 300-run first innings total remained unachieved due to Harshit Rana’s impressive opening spell.
Khaleel Ahmed then turned the tide with a couple of key new-ball wickets, and with support from the other pacers, the Shreyas Iyer-led side was bowled out for 183 runs by Tea.
However, in a surprising turn, a pitch that had favored bowlers for most of the day began to assist the batsmen in the third session.
Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh’s 105-run opening stand made India D’s bowlers work hard for a breakthrough until the skipper intervened.Despite using five full-time bowlers, India D failed to make a breakthrough in the first 28 overs of their innings with Agarwal and Pratham continuing strongly.
Seeing this, Shreyas Iyer took matters into his own hands, bowling the final over of the day himself. His decision proved effective as Mayank Agarwal was dismissed on the first ball, caught off a bottom-edge drive that Shreyas expertly claimed with a dive to his right.
Golden Arm! 💪
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 13, 2024
Shreyas Iyer comes into the attack. Shreyas Iyer strikes first ball 👌
An excellent low catch off his own bowling, and he breaks the 115-run opening stand at the stroke of stumps. #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Scorecard ▶️: https://t.co/m9YW0Hu10f pic.twitter.com/c1nXJsN8QM
Shreyas was ecstatic, celebrating with his teammates, while Agarwal was left disheartened to lose his wicket to a delivery he would have expected to handle better. After a TV review confirmed Shreyas’s clean catch, the same Twitter community that had criticized him for his earlier duck quickly shifted to support him.