Shams Mulani Gives Credit To Experience For His Heroics In Duleep Trophy, Says, 'Wanted To Replicate What I Did For My State Team'

Duleep Trophy 2024: Star spin-bowling all-rounder Shams Mulani was the stand-out performer during the second round of the Duleep Trophy clash. He shone both with the bat and ball during both the innings and helped India A defeat India D by a huge margin of 186 runs. In the post-match presentation, Mulani gave credit to his domestic cricket experience for his brilliant performance against India D.

Amidst Anantapur's scorching heat, Mulani scored a gritty knock of 89 runs during the first innings and then took four wickets in the second. He reckoned that he got used to the heat due to playing continuously in the busy domestic schedule.

"It was tough in this heat. I am used to it. I wanted to replicate what I do for my state team. Discipline while batting helped me a lot. The wicket was getting a little slower. One oddball was gripping. What I spoke to the captain and coach, they told me to bowl in consistent areas," Mulani told broadcasters in the post-match presentation ceremony.

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India A thrashed India D in their second-round Duleep Trophy clash on Saturday although Ricky Bhui did score a hundred his efforts went in vain. India A made a brilliant comeback after losing their tournament opener to India B, on the back of their brilliant performances both by the batters and the bowlers.

The Shreyas Iyer-led India D was skittled out for 301 runs while chasing a mammoth target of 488 runs during the last innings. Ricky Bhui fought a lone battle as he scored a gritty knock of 113 runs off 195 balls and didn't get any help from the other batters. Their inability to build partnerships and the batting collapse were the biggest reasons for their failure as none of the batters could stay at the crease for long.

Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian spearheaded India A's bowling lineup and played a huge role in helping the team win the match. Mulani's 4/33 and Kotian's 4/73 rattled India D's middle and lower batting order and led the team across the line. Mulani contributed both with the bat and the ball and was thus adjudged with the Player of the Match award.

During the first innings, India A had posted a decent target on the back of scintillating hundreds from Pratham Singh and Tilak Varma. Singh scored 122 runs off 189 balls and Varma scored an unbeaten knock of 111 runs off 193 balls and thus set a mammoth target for India D. Ricky Bhui did score a gritty hundred but his efforts went in vain as India D failed to chase the mammoth target.