India A mounted a fightback against Australia A after claiming two wickets in the space of three balls during the third and final unofficial ODI in Puducherry on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 276, Australia A reached 132/2 in 25 overs after making a strong start to their innings. Spinners Vipraj Nigam and Nishant Sindhu delivered crucial breakthroughs to revive India’s hopes of defending their total. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, India A are aiming to finish the three-match series with a consolation victory after Australia A established an advantage in the contest. Earlier, India A were bowled out for 275 in 47.3 overs after being put under pressure by Australia’s bowling attack. Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh provided a promising start, scoring 49 and 39 respectively.
Both batters narrowly missed out on half-centuries but helped establish a useful foundation for the innings. Their partnership gave India A early momentum and put the team in a position to build a substantial total. However, Australia A responded with disciplined bowling to prevent the hosts from converting their opening stand into a much larger score. India A’s middle order struggled to maintain the momentum after the departure of the openers. The team suffered a significant collapse, losing five wickets for the addition of just 35 runs. Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal failed to make substantial contributions, while captain Gaikwad also lost his wicket after getting a start. The sequence of dismissals disrupted India’s scoring rate and left the lower middle order with the responsibility of rebuilding the innings.
Australia’s bowlers capitalised on the pressure, taking wickets at regular intervals and preventing India A from establishing another strong partnership. Suryansh Shedge emerged as a key contributor during India’s recovery, scoring an important 66 to help the team move towards a competitive total. He received valuable support from Vipraj Nigam, who added 40 runs. The pair helped stabilise the innings after the middle-order collapse and ensured India A had a target to defend. Their contributions proved particularly important given the difficulties experienced by the top and middle order. Although India A were unable to complete their full quota of 50 overs, the recovery helped them finish with 275 runs on the board. Australia A’s bowling effort was led by Ben Dwarshuis and Will Sutherland, who claimed three wickets each.
Their performances helped restrict India’s scoring opportunities and contributed to the collapse that interrupted the hosts’ promising start. Liam Scott also played an important role by taking two early wickets, preventing India A’s opening batters from building a more substantial platform. The combined effort from Australia’s bowling unit ensured that India A had to work hard to reach their eventual total, despite Shedge and Nigam’s late contributions. In response, Australia A began the chase positively and reached 132/0 before India A found a breakthrough. The two quick wickets from Nigam and Sindhu changed the momentum of the innings and gave the Indian bowlers an opportunity to apply further pressure. With the visitors needing 144 runs from the remaining 25 overs at the time of the update, the contest remained open.
Australia A still had eight wickets available, leaving them in a position to continue pursuing the target despite the sudden setbacks. India A will now look to build on the breakthroughs by maintaining tight lines and lengths, restricting easy scoring opportunities and forcing the Australian batters to take risks. The spinners’ ability to control the middle overs could prove decisive as the visitors attempt to rebuild their innings. However, Australia A’s remaining batters will aim to establish partnerships and keep the required scoring rate manageable. The outcome will depend on whether India A can sustain the pressure created by the two wickets or Australia A can regain control of the chase. For the hosts, a victory would provide a positive conclusion to the series, while Australia A will seek to complete the final match with another successful performance.