In what turned out to be a reality check, the Indian bowlers faced a tough outing, following initial success, as the three-day day-night warm-up clash against Australia A ended in a draw, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), on Sunday. The Indians would now take on Australia in the first of the four-Test series, to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting Thursday, with the day-night Test in Adelaide.
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Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Indians were bowled out for 194. However, the Australians, too, faced the wrath, as the Indians rattled them out for 108. In the second innings, the Indians secured a mammoth lead of 472 runs, thanks to twin unbeaten centuries from Hanuma Vihari (104*) and Rishabh Pant (103*).
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On the final day, the Australians began on a shaky note, losing their opening three wickets within the first 12 overs. Openers Marcus Harris and Joe Burns were dismissed for single figures, of five and one, respectively, by seamer Mohammed Shami. Nic Maddinson followed them for mere 14, as Mohammed Siraj got his number, with Australians reeling at 253.
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It was then the pair of Ben McDermott and skipper Alex Carey, who contributed to a 137-run stand for the fourth wicket, before the latter fell for 58, to Vihari. However, it was followed by Jack Wildermuth, who supported McDermott through the rest of the innings, as both brought up their centuries.
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For Indians, it was Shami, who was the star throughout the match. While he claimed three in the first innings, he finished with figures of 258 in the second, as the game ended in a brave draw.Brief scores: India 194 & 3864 d drew Australia 108 & 3074 (McDermott 107*, Wildermuth 111*; Shami 258).
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