India A struggles against Australia A on Day 1 of unofficial Test

Prasidh Krishna

Australia A's bowling attack dominated India A on Day 1 of the unofficial Test match. After dismissing India A for a mere 107 runs in their first innings, Australia A ended the first day's play at 99/4. Nathan McSweeney (29) and Cooper Connolly (14) were at the crease. Australia A lost the wickets of Sam Konstas (0), Marcus Harris (17), Cameron Bancroft (0), and Beau Webster (33), players considered for the opener's slot in the upcoming Test series against India. Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each for India A.

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- Golden duck for Ruturaj.
- Duck for Nitish Reddy.
- 4 for Kishan.
- 7 for Easwaran.
- 9 for Indrajith.
- 21 by Sudharsan.
- 23 by Saini.
- 36 by Padikkal.

INDIA A BOWLED OUT FOR JUST 107 VS AUSTRALIA A...!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ctzsY61iKr

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 31, 2024

Earlier, after losing the toss, India A were bundled out for 107. Only three Indian batsmen reached double figures. Karnataka cricketer Devdutt Padikkal top-scored with 36. Sai Sudharsan (21) and Navdeep Saini (23) also cross the two digit mark. Brendan Doggett's devastating spell of 6/15 in 11 overs dismantled the Indian batting lineup. India A slumped from 71/4 to 86/9 before Saini helped them cross 100.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad departed in the second over for a golden duck, caught by Josh Philippe off Jordan Buckingham's first delivery. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been prolific in domestic cricket, also failed to make an impact, scoring just 7 runs off 30 balls. Easwaran is part of the Indian senior team as a backup opener for the upcoming Australia tour.

Sai Sudharsan's 21 off 35 balls offered a glimmer of hope, but his dismissal left India A reeling at 32/3. Padikkal and Baba Indrajith then steadied the ship, taking the score past 50. However, Indrajith's dismissal for 9 by Todd Murphy triggered a collapse. Padikkal's resistance ended at 36, courtesy of Doggett. Ishan Kishan (4) also departed quickly. Nitish Reddy (0), Manav Suthar (1), and Prasidh Krishna (0) fell in quick succession, leaving India A at 86/9. Saini's 23, with support from Mukesh Kumar (4*), helped India A cross 100.

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