India A chased down a challenging target of recovering from a precarious position as KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan scored match-winning centuries for a brilliant five-wicket win against Australia A in the second unofficial Test match played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium to clinch the two-match series 1-0.
Starting day five of the Test match at 169 for 2 and needing 243 more to win, India A was in a tough spot in their chase of 412 runs. Rahul, who retired on 74 last night, walked out this morning after Manav Suthar was dismissed and showed poise and temperament while guiding the innings until the end, scoring an unbeaten 176 runs off 210 balls, including 16 fours and four sixes.
At the other end, B Sai Sudharsan continued to play confidently and had reached his century, with the pair adding 78 runs together, putting India A on the path to recover the run chase. Sudharsan eventually was dismissed for 100 to give Corey Rocchiccioli his first wicket of the match.
The other Indian batter on display, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel supported Rahul with a lively score of 56 off 66 balls, including five fours and three sixes; they made a game-breaking 115 runs in less than 19 overs. Finally, Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 16* not out to see India to the finish line, winning the unofficial Test match by reaching 413 for 5.
For Australia A, Todd Murphy shone again, taking 3 for 114 to match his first-innings performance while Rocchiccioli claimed two wickets. Despite their efforts, the visitors’ inexperienced attack could not stop India from chasing down the weighty target.
Earlier, the match had ebbed and flowed. After Australia A scored 420 in the first innings thanks to Jack Edwards (88) and Murphy (76), India A stacked up 194. That was before Suthar picked up five wickets as Australia A batted 185 in the second innings, setting India 412. Rahul and Sudharsan made it a historic chase.
Murphy conceded afterwards that his side paid for missed opportunities and spoke about the difficulties of bowling in Indian conditions, citing heat and humidity as significant factors.
With the win, India A has taken the unofficial Test series 1-0, following a drawn first match. The outlook now is to Kanpur where both teams play a three-match one-day series starting 30 September.
Learn More: MA Chidambaram Stadium Pitch Report || Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report
