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India B now has a 240-run lead with Washington Sundar (6) at the crease, after bowling out India A for 231, gaining an initial 90-run advantage. Pant’s brisk 61 from 47 balls (4×9, 6×2) highlighted the day.
The lead seemed tenuous when pacers Khaleel Ahmed (2/56) and Akash Deep (2/36) reduced India B to 22 for three within the first eight overs, cutting the overall lead to 132 at that juncture.
Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and first innings centurion Musheer Khan (0) were dismissed by Akash Deep, while Yashasvi Jaiswal fell to Ahmed, with all three catches secured by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. At tea, India B was 33 for three.
In this situation, Pant and Sarfaraz (46 off 36 balls, 7×4, 1×6) were expected to play with caution as the ball was moving considerately. However, both players defied the conditions and bowlers. Their partnership yielded 72 runs in just over nine overs, shifting the match’s momentum towards India B.
Sarfaraz targeted Akash Deep, hitting five consecutive fours, while Pant dealt effectively with Ahmed, producing a late cut and a cover punch for boundaries.
Sarfaraz was dropped on 28 by Ahmed off his own bowling, but soon after, he lofted a six off the same bowler. Eventually, he was dismissed by Avesh Khan, edging a rising ball to Jurel behind the stumps.
Pant continued his aggressive approach, reaching his fifty in just 34 balls. He transitioned from 43 to 49 with an overhead six off Kuldeep Yadav, then achieved the milestone with a single on the next delivery. His innings ended when he attempted a sweep off Tanush Kotian and offered a simple catch to substitute Kumar Kushagra.
By this time, Pant had also demonstrated his capability as a wicketkeeper, reinforcing his position as the first-choice wicketkeeper batter for India’s upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Earlier, India A resumed their innings from 134 for two but were bundled out for 231. Pacers Navdeep Saini (3/60) and Mukesh Kumar (3/62) shared six wickets between them. KL Rahul (37) and Riyan Parag (30) aimed to bridge the gap with an 89-run partnership for the third wicket but struggled against robust bowling from both ends.
Parag was caught down the leg side by Pant off Yash Dayal, and Rahul was bowled while attempting a sweep off Washington Sundar, reducing India A to 169 for five.
They faced further setbacks as Shivam Dube’s (20) aggressive outing was cut short by Mukesh Kumar, with his edge taken by Nitish Kumar Reddy at slips, leading India A to a wobbly 208 for seven by lunch.
Kotian, contributing a 71-ball 32, tried to stabilize the innings. However, Sai Kishore induced an edge that was caught by Musheer at forward short leg, thus ending their resistance.
At the close of play, India B maintains the upper hand, thanks largely to the aggressive and timely contributions from Pant and Sarfaraz that countered early setbacks by India A’s pacers.
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