Lincoln: India A endured a difficult opening day against New Zealand A in the first unofficial Test in Lincoln, with the hosts exploiting favourable seam conditions to bowl out the visitors for 113 before building a 22-run lead by stumps on Saturday.
New Zealand A, who elected to field after winning the toss, made full use of the green surface as Simon Keene claimed five wickets for 24 runs and Zak Gibson took three for 29. India A’s batting line-up struggled to withstand the sustained pressure, with only Yash Rathod and Devdutt Padikkal managing to offer meaningful resistance.
KL Rahul’s stay ended without scoring after he chased a delivery outside off stump, while Yashasvi Jaiswal managed 17 before edging behind to first slip. Keene then struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Sai Sudharsan for a duck and captain Dhruv Jurel for one, leaving India A in early trouble.
Padikkal provided some stability at No. 3, reaching 32 before falling off the first delivery he faced after lunch. His dismissal left the visitors reeling at 56 for five, and the situation deteriorated further as Washington Sundar departed without scoring.
The lower order offered little resistance as India A slipped to 81 for nine, with Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi and Akash Deep unable to turn their starts into substantial contributions.
Rathod, however, produced a spirited counterattack to prevent the innings from ending even sooner. The right-hander struck three sixes and remained unbeaten on 44, taking the attack to the bowlers after New Zealand A had dominated for much of the innings. Keene eventually completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Mukesh Choudhary, bringing India A’s innings to a close in 39.2 overs.
New Zealand A’s reply began cautiously as Curtis Heaphy and captain Rhys Mariu negotiated the challenging conditions. Mariu was given an early reprieve when Jaiswal failed to hold a catch at the third slip off Akash Deep, allowing the opener to continue his innings.
The hosts gradually established control through a century-opening partnership, with Heaphy remaining unbeaten on 37 and Mariu leading the scoring. The captain reached 76 before Choudhary trapped him leg before wicket, finally breaking through for India A.
Auqib Nabi then swung the momentum briefly in the visitors’ favour, dismissing night watchman Jayden Lennox before removing Tim Robinson leg before wicket with the next delivery. The sequence left Nabi one wicket away from a hat-trick, but the close of play prevented him from attempting it until the second morning.
New Zealand A ended the day at 135 for three in reply to India A’s 113, holding a lead of 22 runs with Heaphy still at the crease.
Brief scores: India A 113/10 (Yash Rathod 44*, Devdutt Padikkal 32; Simon Keene 5/24, Zak Gibson 3/29) trail New Zealand A 135/3 (Rhys Mariu 76, Curtis Heaphy 37*; Auqib Nabi 2/31, Mukesh Choudhary 1/30) by 22 runs. IANS
Also Read: ‘Every Individual Is a Match-Winner’: Shreyas Praises Tilak After India’s Win