Duleep Trophy 2024: Musheer to Manav; top five performers from round 1

The outstanding performances of Musheer Khan and Manav Suthar were instrumental in securing victories for their respective teams in the first-round matches

The first-round matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy concluded with Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B and Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C defeating Shubman Gill-led India A and Shreyas Iyer-led India D by 76 runs and four wickets, respectively. Many of the regular Test players, including Gill and Iyer, were part of the first-round matches after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) required international players to participate in domestic tournaments while they were away from international duties.

Duleep Trophy 2024: Full schedule

The tournament also served as a testing ground for the BCCI to select players for India’s upcoming Test season, starting with a two-match series against Bangladesh on September 19. The trick worked for wicket-keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, whose gutsy half-century in the second innings of the first match for India B helped him reclaim his spot in the Test team for the first time since his horrific road accident in 2022. However, apart from Pant, who are the top five players who impressed the most during the first-round matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy? Let’s take a look.

1. Musheer Khan (181 runs)
 

The 19-year-old batter from Uttar Pradesh and younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, set the stage on fire when he scored 181 from 373 balls in his Duleep Trophy debut for India B. India B, at one stage, were struggling at 94 for 7, but the debutant Musheer, along with Navdeep Saini (56), added 202 runs for the eighth wicket, which resulted in his team reaching a total of 321 in the first innings and eventually winning the match by 76 runs.

2. Akash Deep (9 wickets)
 

The 27-year-old cricketer, Akash Deep, was one of the standout performers of round one, as the right-arm medium pacer playing for India A took 9 wickets in the first match. He took 4 for 60 in the first innings and 5 for 56 in the second innings. Despite the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star not being able to help his team secure a win, he earned himself a spot in India’s 15-man squad selected for the first Test against Bangladesh. Apart from his brilliant spell with the ball, he also scored 43 important runs in the second innings.

3. Axar Patel (114 runs and 3 wickets)
 

India’s hero from the 2024 T20 World Cup final, all-rounder Axar Patel, was again at his best during the first-round matches for India D. The southpaw scored 86 in the first innings and 28 in the second innings while also picking three wickets across the two innings. However, his effort was in vain as his team lost the game by 4 wickets.

4. Manav Suthar (8 wickets)
 

The 22-year-old spinner, with his magical 7 for 49 spell in the second innings for India C, etched his name in the history books as he now holds the record for the best spell in a Duleep Trophy match, surpassing R Sai Kishore’s record of 7 for 72 in the 2022-23 season. Manav’s spell was the game-changer, as India D, who were cruising at 166 for 3 at one stage in the second innings, were bundled out for 236 after Manav’s fiery spell.

5. Baba Indrajith (79 runs)
 

While Baba Indrajith’s 79 runs may not seem as impressive as other names on the list, his innings laid the foundation for India C to secure a win against India D in the first match. Indrajith scored 72 in the first innings, which helped India C take an important four-run lead after they were eight wickets down at just 108. Indrajith’s 51-run partnership for the ninth wicket was one of the most important partnerships during the round one matches and was one of the reasons why India C walked away with all six points from the game.