Scorecard

India 'A' whipped India 'B' by 90 runs, with 13.1 overs to spare, to book a place in Thursday's final against India Seniors, in the NKP Salve Challenger Series at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

India 'A' rode on skipper Rahul Dravid's [Images] splendidly compiled 96-ball 115 to post an imposing total of 294 for 9 in 50 overs.

It set their opponents a stiff asking rate of 5.9 to win the match.

But India 'B' were unequal to the task despite the presence of stalwarts Virender Sehwag [Images], the team skipper who batted at two down, and one-down batsman V V S Laxman [Images], and collapsed for 204, in only 36.5 overs.

Left-arm spinner Murali Karthik bowled a fine opening spell of five overs in which he sent back opener and top scorer Robin Uttapa (66 of 48 balls, 12 fours) and Rohan Gavaskar.

He later bowled five balls to add another victim to his kitty and finished with fine figures of 3 for 26.

He was given good support by left-arm slow bowler Dinesh Mongia (3 for 47).

India 'A', who had beaten Indian seniors by chasing 280 successfully under lights, topped the league with two wins while the latter, led by Sourav Ganguly [Images], finished second in the round robin phase, having comprehensively beaten India 'B' last night by eight wickets.

India 'B' exited the tournament without a point.

Dravid paced his innings to a nicety after coming to the crease at the fall of the second wicket in the 9th over and was out in the 44h over.

His 115 contained 15 well-struck fours and a sweetly timed six over long on off Ramesh Powar [Images].

The India 'A' skipper and Mohd Kaif, who too batted very well and ran singles and twos smartly in making 63 off 75 balls, put on 124 runs in 21 overs for the fourth wicket to give impetus to the innings, which got bogged down at 73 for 3 in the 15th over.

Uthappa batted very well and two of his straight drives off Indian paceman Zaheer Khan [Images] were classic efforts. He looked confident except for one fiery over from the left arm speedster.

Earlier, India A, after being put in to bat by Sehwag, lost their first two wickets - Dhiraj Jadhav (2) and Dinesh Mongia (8) - cheaply to slide to 35 fo 2 in the ninth over.

Jadhav was run-out backing too far at the non-striker's end and Mongia edged an angling away delivery from left arm paceman Ashish Nehra to Gautam Gambhir [Images] in the slips.

The departure of Satyajit Parab at 73, who fell to Sehwag, brought together Dravid and Kaif, who had helped India A chase down the stiff 281-run target set by India seniors on the opening day of the tournament with an unbroken stand of 77.