Sanju Samson Shines, Abhimanyu Easwaran Fights Lone Battle: Highlights from Duleep Trophy

Sanju Samson's century brought India D back against India B, despite Shreyas Iyer's struggles. Abhimanyu Easwaran's 116 kept India B's hopes alive. Meanwhile, failures from top-order batsmen led India C to 216/7 against India A, with Abishek Porel's 82 standing out.

Sanju Samson's inspired century revived India D's hopes in their clash against India B during the third round of the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur. Despite Shreyas Iyer's ongoing struggles, Samson managed to score 89* on the opening day and completed his century before falling to Navdeep Saini.

India B, in response, relied heavily on their skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who scored 116 amidst the collapse of his teammates. Easwaran's lone effort kept India B within reach of India D's 349, but his departure on 116, courtesy of Aditya Thakare, marked a turning point.

Suryakumar Yadav's brief stint at the crease ended after 15 balls, as Arshdeep Singh nabbed his wicket. Washington Sundar's unbeaten 39* towards the end helped India B stabilize, concluding the day's play at 210/6.

In a parallel game, India C's top order faltered against India A, leaving them at a precarious 216/7. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, and Ishan Kishan failed to capitalize after India A posted 297 initially. Abishek Porel's 82 offered a glimmer of hope before being dismissed by Shams Mulani.

The lower order, led by Pulkit Narang and Vyshak Vijay Kumar, forged a crucial 49-run partnership to end the day unscathed. Earlier, Avesh Khan's 51* had propelled India A's first innings score from 224/7 to a respectable 297.

(With inputs from agencies.)