Duleep Trophy, India Red v India Blue Day 2 Review: Raina, Vihari nullify Baba Indrajith's double-ton

At a time when the scoreboard suggested that India Reds are 9 wickets down after accumulating just 205 runs, India Blue’s skipper Suresh Raina would have thought about the perfect chance of making a statement. Not him, but it was Baba Indrajith’s turn to showcase his talent in the 56th edition of Duleep Trophy. The Day 1 ended with Reds just 9 runs away from 300, with 9 wickets down.

Baba’s sole struggle continued on the second day as well, here at the Green Park in Kanpur. The 23-year old decided to give up only after completing his double century. No. 11 batsman Vijay Gohil must also be given credit for his strong support with 34 runs, which enabled Baba to take the score to 383. As for Raina, Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary did the trick by picking the all important wicket.

But Baba’s job was done and after the early collapse, Dinesh Karthik couldn’t have asked for any better score. The focus now shifted to the most notable mention featuring in this competition- Suresh Raina. Can he give a fitting reply to the selectors who ignored him, or will he justify selectors’ decision? A lot of questions were in the queue, but it was time for openers Hamuna Vihari and Samit Gohel to take guard in the middle.

Gohel and Tiwary depart early

Just like Reds, the Blues went off to a good start as Gohel opted for the shots very early in the innings. But his joy was short-lived, as the best performer of the last match Karn Sharma decided to prove why anyone shouldn’t call him ‘one Test wonder’. His dismissal made way for Manoj Tiwary, and he followed a similar pattern and again, a similar fate. While Gohel scored 32 runs, Tiwary departed with a dozen less than Gohel’s contribution. Basil Thampi was the bowler and scripted a perfect scenario for Raina’s entry.

And yes, Raina did deliver, if the selectors sitting at the BCCI office considers half-a-ton a delivery. But looking at the complexion of the game, Raina’s 52 runs were very important in a situation where two of Blues’ top notch batters were sitting in the dugout. Raina lost his wicket to the young Vijay Gohil, who was given a chance to have a go at the Blues’ batting lineup in this match.

Vihari standing tall

While Raina departed after scoring 52, Hanuma Vihari stood at the crease like a mountain. Nothing considerable enough from the likes of Basil Thampi, Karn Sharma, Siddarth Kaul or Chama Milind could hand him his return ticket. First with Tiwary, then with Raina followed by Deepak Hooda, Vihari continued building his innings, which now shows the potential of a monument at the stumps of Day 2.

When the umpire lodged the bails off, Blues were standing comfortably at 216/3, with Baba’s 200’s effect more or less nullified. Hooda scored 23 runs, while the 23-year old from Hyderabad needs just 14 runs more to reach his century. In a match dominated by the batting duo of South Zone, it will be interesting to see whether Vihari pulls off a Baba or Karn Sharma could recreate his magic of the last game.

Brief scores

India Blue 1st innings- 383/10 (Baba Indrajith 200, Priyank Panchal 36; Ankit Rajpoot 3/56)

India Red 1st innings- 216/3 (Hamuna Vihari 86*, Suresh Raina 52; Vijay Gohil 1/50).