India A suffered a batting collapse on the opening day of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on October 24. The visitors were bowled out for just 113 in 39.3 overs after the home captain Rhys Mariu won the toss and elected to bowl.
Yash Rathod was the top scorer for India A, remaining unbeaten on 44 off 49 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Devdutt Padikkal was the only other batter to make a significant contribution, scoring 32 off 77 deliveries.
New Zealand A pacer Simon Keene led the bowling attack with five wickets for 24 runs in 11.3 overs. Zak Gibson also played a key role, taking three wickets for 29 runs, while Fraser Sheat and Kristian Clarke picked up one wicket each.
India A lost KL Rahul early for a duck, caught behind off Sheat. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 17 before falling to Gibson, while Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for a duck by Keene. Captain Dhruv Jurel managed just one run as India A slipped to 52/4.
India A’s middle order failed to build partnerships after the early wickets. Padikkal was dismissed for 32, caught behind off Gibson, while Washington Sundar fell for a duck to leave the visitors struggling at 58/6.
Rathod kept India A in the game with an attacking innings. He struck back-to-back sixes off Fraser Sheat to help the team cross the 100-run mark. However, Keene returned to finish the innings, dismissing Auqib Nabi for five before removing Akash Deep and Mukesh Choudhary for ducks. Five India A batters failed to open their accounts.
New Zealand A made a strong start in reply, with openers Rhys Mariu and Curtis Heaphy putting together a solid partnership. Mariu scored 76, while Heaphy contributed 34 as the hosts moved past India’s total without losing a wicket initially.
India A fought back later in the day through Auqib Nabi, who picked up two wickets, while Mukesh Kumar also struck to reduce New Zealand A to 135/3 at stumps. The hosts held a lead of 22 runs with seven wickets remaining, putting them in a strong position heading into Day 2.
India aim to take 2-0 lead over New Zealand
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s Indian team will be looking to gain a 2-0 lead in the second of a five-match T20I series against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval.
The reigning world T20 champions had come out victorious in the series opener on Thursday, chasing down a mammoth target of 226 with ease, thanks to Sanju Samson’s half-century and quickfire 40s from Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir.