India A 290 (Mulani 89, Rana 4-51) and 380 for 3 (Pratham 122, Tilak 111) beat India D 183 (Padikkal 92, Khaleel 3-39) and 301 (Bhui 113, Kotian 4-73) by 186 runs

India A bounced back from a first-round defeat to record a 186-run win over the Shreyas Iyer-led India D to remain in contention to finish on top of the table heading into the final round of the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy.

Resuming on 62 for 1, Bhui drove the innings and brought up his 18th first-class hundred, but none of the other batters managed to play out time. Iyer and Sanju Samson, both of whom missed out in the first innings, made 41 and 40 respectively.

Bhui and Yash Dubey put on 100 for the second wicket as India D’s pursuit to secure a draw received a massive leg up. But the run out of Dubey followed by Devdutt Padikkal’s dismissal on 1 off Shams Mulani set them back.

Iyer and Samson were typically adventurous and batted with flair, at no point looking to rein their natural game. Iyer became Mulani’s second victim when he was bowled. That wicket opened the floodgates for his Mumbai team-mate Kotian to get into the thick of things. Kotian ended up with a four-for as he sliced through the lower order to seal victory in the final session.