IND-A vs AUS-A: After losing the first unofficial ODI against Australia A, India A will be keen to level the series when the two sides resume their battle in the second game on October 9, Friday at the Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem Ground in Puducherry.
India A were slightly off their plans with the bowling and well off the mark with the bat as the tourists delivered a commanding performance to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Nathan McSweeney has put his hands up to be a big part of the future of Australia’s batting, given his outstanding rescue act in the series-opener. With Australia A slipping to 87/5 at one stage and the surface massively assisting spin, the right-hander cracked an excellent hundred, making 123 off 135 deliveries with 13 boundaries. Captain and all-rounder Will Sutherland’s role was as much crucial as he made a proactive 68-ball 77 to add 141 with McSweeney. With the bowling, Mahli Beardman was most impressive as he cranked up 140 km/h regularly to take figures of 6-0-23-4 as Australia A comfortably defended 274. But the tourists will still be eyeing more contributions from their top-order batters.
Meanwhile, India A bowled outstandingly with the new ball, keeping the visitors on their toes for the better part of the initial phase of the contest. However, they couldn’t stop the revival sparked by Sutherland and McSweeney. While Suryansh Shedge showcased his promise with a haul of 7-0-40-4, the 141-run stand between McSweeney and Sutherland that eventually catapulted Australia A to 274 proved to be decisive. With the bat, the visitors unleashed fire on a tricky surface and India A batters were found wanting.
India A vs Australia A, Unofficial One-Day Series Squads
India A Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Devdutt Padikkal (vice-capt), Priyansh Arya, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Rajat Patidar, Prabhsimran Singh, B Sai Sudharsan, Anukul Roy, Arshin Kulkarni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Arshad Khan, Gurjapneet Singh, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur.
Australia A Squad
Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Riley Meredith, Todd Murphy, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachlan Shaw, Will Sutherland.
When And Where to watch India A vs Australia A second unofficial ODI?
There is no live telecast of the match but fans in India can stream it live on Jio Hotstar App and website. The match begins at 9:30 AM IST on Friday.