India A majorly plunges on the final day of the Duleep trophy match as KL Rahul's gumption, which helped him pile a patient fifty, was met with highly competitive India B pacers led by Yash Dayal who pushed India A to a 76-run defeat on the fourth and final day of the match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack.
Rahul top-scored for 'A' with a 51.
The India A chase began on a shaky note as Mayank Agarwal left in the second over itself, blowing Dayal away from his body to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made a wonderful diving catch at second slip.
Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, Shivam Dube, and Tanush Kotian also fell cheaply, leaving India A at a precarious 76 for four, which soon deteriorated to 99 for six.
KL Rahul, who top-scored with 51, provided some resistance with a 180-minute innings but was eventually dismissed by Mukesh Kumar. The match ended with India A at 198, despite a spirited 43 from Akash Deep.
Earlier, India B, resuming at 150 for six, was bowled out for 184, setting India A a target of 275.
Akash Deep, who had struggled previously, claimed five wickets for 56 runs, showcasing his potential for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).
The spell will keep his name floating among the contenders when the selectors sit together soon to pick up the squad for a two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
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