India A on brink of defeat against Australia A in unofficial Test

India A is on the verge of defeat in the four-day match against Australia A. Chasing a target of 225, Australia A reached 139 for 3 at stumps on Day 3 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena. Nathan McSweeney (47) and Beau Webster (19) are at the crease. With a day and seven wickets remaining, Australia A needs only 86 runs to win. Earlier, Sai Sudharsan's century (103) guided India A to a respectable score.  Devdutt Padikkal also performed well (88). India A's second innings ended at 312. Ishan Kishan (32) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (17) disappointed once again. Fergus O'Neill took four wickets and Todd Murphy picked up three for Australia A.

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Australia A lost their first wicket at 22 runs while chasing the target. Mukesh Kumar bowled Sam Constatine (16). Cameron Bancroft (16) followed soon after, dismissed by Prasidh Krishna. Marcus Harris (36) held on for a while but fell to Manav Suthar, leaving Australia A at 85 for 3. The McSweeney-Webster partnership then stabilized the innings, adding 54 runs so far.

Earlier, India A resumed their second innings on Day 3 at 208 for 2. Sai soon completed his century before being bowled by Todd Murphy. Facing 200 balls, the Tamil Naduu batter hit nine boundaries. India A's collapse began after Sai's dismissal. Padikkal added eight runs to his overnight score before getting out. His innings included six boundaries.

Baba Indrajith (6), Ishan Kishan (32), and Nitish (17) failed to shine. Ishan started well but couldn't carry on, hitting two sixes and three fours in his 58-ball innings. Manav Suthar (6), Prasidh Krishna (0), and Mukesh Kumar (0) were the other wickets to fall. Navdeep Saini remained unbeaten on 18.

Earlier, resuming their first innings at 99-4 on Day 2, Australia A were bowled out for 195. Mukesh Kumar's 6 for 46 dismantled the Australian batting. Prasidh Krishna chipped in with three wickets, and Nitish Reddy took one. Todd Murphy's fighting knock of 33 helped Australia A gain a crucial 88-run lead. Captain Nathan McSweeney was the top scorer with 39. In their first innings, India A were bowled out for 107. Brendan Doggett's 6-wicket haul demolished the Indian batting lineup.

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• cricket
• IND A vs AUS A
• India A
• Sai Sudharsan
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Mukesh Kumar
• Nathan Sweeney