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Padikkal and Sudharsan steady India A after New Zealand A take a 204-run lead in Lincoln
India A closed day two on 106 for 2, still 98 behind, after KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply. Rhys Mariu's 76 and 46 extras had carried the hosts to 317.
Key points
- New Zealand A were all out for 317, a first-innings lead of 204 over India A's 113.
- Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan added an unbroken 96 for the third wicket.
- India A, 106 for 2 at stumps, still trail by 98 with two days left.
Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan kept India A in the first unofficial Test in Lincoln on Sunday, batting through the evening session of day two after New Zealand A had built a first-innings lead of 204 runs at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.
India A closed on 106 for 2 in 36 overs, still 98 runs behind, with Padikkal unbeaten on 56 and Sudharsan on 39. The pair had put on 96 for the third wicket after the visitors slipped to 10 for 2 in the second innings.
The lead grows
The day began with India A hoping to run through the lower order. Auqib Nabi’s two wickets in two balls late on Saturday had left New Zealand A, then 132 without loss, suddenly exposed, and India A’s bowlers had a chance to limit the damage.
The home side ground on instead. Rhys Mariu made 76, and Dean Foxcroft added 51. Kristian Clarke, batting lower down, hit 42 before Akash Deep removed him, and New Zealand A were finally all out for 317.
India A’s bowlers also gave away 46 extras, a big help to the hosts. Anshul Kamboj finished with 3 for 52 and Nabi with 3 for 69.
Another top-order wobble
India A’s second innings started badly. KL Rahul made 4. Yashasvi Jaiswal followed for 5, and at 10 for 2 the match threatened to run away from the visitors well before the end of day two.
Padikkal was dropped early, off the bowling of Clarke, and made the home side pay. He and Sudharsan played with more patience than India A showed on the first day, when Simon Keene’s five wickets bowled them out for 113. Keene took 1 for 19 in the second innings and Fraser Sheat 1 for 26.
What comes next
The four-day game has two days left. India A need a long partnership on Monday from the overnight pair, and runs from the middle order, to set New Zealand A any kind of target and avoid defeat.
The tour matters beyond the A side’s results. Several of the batters in Lincoln, Rahul and Jaiswal among them, are part of the senior Test picture, and India’s home Test series is scheduled to begin in the third week of November.