Correspondent, 24 October: The 'India A' squad currently touring New Zealand suffered a highly embarrassing collapse during their unofficial four-day test match against New Zealand A. Despite being packed with star batters from the senior team, India A was bowled out for a mere 113 runs in their first innings.
New Zealand A won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision their bowlers completely justified. The vulnerabilities of the Indian batters on New Zealand pitches were exposed once again, leaving the team in a dismal position of 81 for 9 at one stage of the game.
The experienced opening duo of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal stepped onto the field to start the innings, but their partnership could not cross the five-run mark. Rahul faced eight deliveries before being dismissed for a duck by Fraser Sheat, who sent him back to the pavilion without letting him open his account. Jaiswal played 45 balls, scoring only 17 runs with the help of two boundaries.
Following the openers, the middle order also surrendered. Sai Sudharsan faced 13 deliveries and was dismissed for zero. Team captain Dhruv Jurel struggled as well, managing just one run off 13 balls. Devdutt Padikkal held his ground for some time, scoring 32 runs off 77 balls with five fours, but he ultimately failed to build a substantial innings.
While it appeared India would be bundled out for under a hundred runs, Yash Rathod played a crucial role to push the total forward. Utilizing an aggressive approach, he smashed 44 runs off 49 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes, which helped the team reach the 113-run mark. Currently, the Indian team is also playing a five-match T20 series in New Zealand, but the failure of key batters in this practice match has emerged as a matter of concern for the upcoming Test fixtures.
📌 महत्वाच्या बातम्या
- Smriti Mandhana Leads India to 9-Wicket Win Over Zimbabwe in First ODI as Captain
- Mother Worked as a Gardener, Now Given Major BCCI Responsibility: Parvinder Awana Named Junior Selection Committee Chairman
- IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer on the Verge of Breaking Rohit Sharma’s Massive Record; Needs Just 25 Runs
