India A fights back against Australia A in 2nd unofficial Test

By Sreejith CR | First Published Nov 8, 2024, 11:07 AM IST

India A stages a strong comeback against Australia A in the second unofficial Test match, restricting the home side's lead to just 62 runs.

Australia A suffered a batting collapse against India A in the second unofficial Test. Chasing India's 161, the home sides first innings ended at 223. They have a lead of 62 runs Marcus Harris top scored for Australia A with 74 runs. Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the Indian bowlers with four wickets to his name, while Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed chipped in with three and two scalps respectively.

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Australia A started the second day at 53 runs for two wickets. Sam Conners (3) was the first to depart, adding just two runs to his overnight score. Oliver Davies (13) and Beau Webster (5) also failed to make an impact. On Day 1, Australia A lost the wickets of captain Nathan McSweeney (14) and Cameron Bancroft (3) with only 43 runs on the board.

Opener Marcus Harris held firm but wickets fell at the other end. The 32-year-old's wicket was taken by pacer Prasidh Krishna. The right-arm quick also accounted for the wickets of Oliver Davies (13), Jimme Peirson (30) and Scott Boland (0). Corey Rocchicioli, who came in at No. 10, scored valuable 35 runs. He was the second highest scorer for the home side.

India's start was disastrous. They lost four wickets with only 11 runs on the board. Abhimanyu Easwaran (0) and Sai Sudharsan (0) were dismissed in the first over itself. KL Rahul (4) and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) followed soon after. This is the third consecutive innings where Ruturaj and Abhimanyu have disappointed. Devdutt Padikkal (26) and Jurel then added 53 runs for the fifth wicket. However, Michael Neser provided the breakthrough for Australia A by dismissing Padikkal.

Nitish Reddy (16) and Tanush Kotian (0) also failed to shine. Khaleel Ahmed (1) also departed without a fight. India were reduced to 119 for eight. Jurel, who held firm at one end amidst the collapse, helped the score cross 150. He added 36 runs with Prasidh Krishna (14). However, Mackenzie ended India's innings by dismissing Jurel (80). Mukesh Kumar (5) remained unbeaten. Jurel's innings included two sixes and six fours. Jurel's performance in testing conditions, after Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan's poor form in the New Zealand Test series, makes a strong case for a spot in the Test playing XI.

Earlier, Jurel and Rahul had arrived in Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India made four changes to the team that played the first match. Ishan Kishan, Baba Indrajith, Navdeep Saini, and Manav Suthar lost their places. KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Tanush Kotian, and Khaleel Ahmed replaced them. Jurel was the wicketkeeper. Australia A lead the two-match series 1-0.

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