Vijay ton, bowlers crush India A

After two close games, the final of the Challenger Trophy was one sided. India B crushed India A under the weight of their big total of 356, as they won the final in Rajkot by 139 runs. M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kedhar Jadhav did the bulk of the scoring, with Vijay scoring 155. India A had four batsmen who made double figures but none of them lasted long enough for a spirited reply.

India B opener Vijay, who had scored 93 against Bengal on Monday, took 121 balls to lead his team to a strong position at 277 for 3, when he departed in the 41st over. He and Baba Aparajith added 68 for the first wicket, after which Pujara joined him to add 192 more. With 80 scored in the final ten overs, courtesy of Kedar Jadhav's quick 60, India B crossed the 350-run mark.

India A were jolted early when they lost their first wicket, Robin Uthappa, in the second over. Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan put on 115 runs in 123 balls to keep them in the hunt, but a collapse ensued, helped by two wickets and a run out from Ravindra Jadeja, to leave India A at 150 for 6 in the 31st over.

A required run rate of 10.89 with only tailenders to bat swung the game in India B's favour. And although Manish Pandey played a determined knock of 47 in a seventh wicket stand of 64 with Abhimanyu Mithun, his departure in the 40th over ensured the contest was virtually over. Seamer Stuart Binny was the top wicket-taker with three scalps, as four bowlers proved economical, going for less than five runs per over each.