As India warm-ups ahead of the all-important four-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, from December 17, they are off to a dismal start in the official warm-up tie. On Day 1 of the clash at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney, the Indians witnessed the glimpse of what could be waiting for them in the longest format, as they lost six wickets just over 100, with pacer James Pattinson tearing them apart. At the same time, skipper Ajinkya Rahane stayed unbeaten upon scoring a century.
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Winning the toss, Rahane elected to bat first. They lost the top-order for cheap, as openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw departed without even scoring their opening run, as Michael Neser and Pattinson got their number, respectively. They were followed by Hanuma Vihari, who fell for mere 15 to Jackson Bird, as the Indians were reeling at 403.
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Nonetheless, the pair of Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane took some charge thereon. They contributed to a 76-run stand for the fourth wicket before the former fell for 54 to Pattinson. He was quickly followed by wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha (0) and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin (5), who fell to skipper Travis Head and Pattinson.
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However, it was Kuldeep Yadav, who ensured to play in a composed manner, while Rahane continued to play a commendable knock of an unbeaten 108. Nonetheless, Kuldeep departed after scoring 15 off 78 deliveries, falling to Head.
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Meanwhile, it was Rahane's 34th First-Class century, while his knock included 16 fours and a six. Following the dismissal of Kuldeep, he was supported by Umesh Yadav, who contributed 24, before falling to Neser. Nonetheless, it was Mohammed Siraj, who stayed unbeaten on zero at the end of the day, along with Rahane.
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As for the Australians, Pattinson was the star of the opening day, claiming 358, while Neser and Head claimed a couple each. Meanwhile, Cameron Green was the most economical bowler, with figures of 09 from eight overs.Brief scores: India A 2378 (Rahane 108*, Pujara 54; Pattinson 358) vs Australia A.
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