AUS A v IND A, 2nd Unofficial Test Review: Australia clinch the series as rain forces washout

Incessant rain and a wet outfield forced the umpires to call off the fourth day without a single ball being bowled, ending the 2nd unofficial Test in a draw. The Indians, who ended day three on 158/4, were trying to fight back and overhaul the huge lead of 266 runs piled on them by the Aussies in the first innings of the match.

The game was mostly a one-sided affair where the hosts dominated the Indians for most part in the game. After been put into bat first by the Australians, India A could manage only 169 after failing to cope with the skillful bowling of Kane Richardson and Jackson Bird. Hardik Pandya with his fighting 79 run knock was the only successful batsman.

In reply, Australia A piled on a formidable 435 runs in the second innings with the help of century from Hilton Cartwright (117) and half-centuries from Nic Maddinson (81), Beau Webster (79) and Sam Whiteman (51). This huge total gave them a handsome lead of 266 runs over India.

The Indians began their fight back after the Lunch session on day three with Mumbai youngster Akhil Herwadkar leading from the front. The opener made a well-compiled 82 to support India A’s quest to overhaul the lead and set a decent target. However, the rest others could not bat in the same way. The Australian pacers looked in good form and defused the top order in no time.

Karun Nair, Manish Pandey, and skipper Naman Ojha were all dismissed in a quick succession. Sanju Samson looked somewhat comfortable and stitched an important partnership of 58 runs. Both remained unbeaten till the end.

The match looked like a certain draw but it would have been interesting to see Herwadkar and Samson deal with the in-form Australian pacers today. However, the weather had some other plans.

After having won the 1st match by 3 wickets, Australia win the two-match series 1-0. Hilton Cartwright, who struck his second first-class century in the game, was awarded the Man of the Match for his 117.

Brief Scores:

India, 1st innings: 169 all out

Australia, 1st innings: 435 all out (H Cartwright 117; S Thakur 5/101)

India, 2nd innings: 158/4 (A Herwadkar 82*; J Holland 3/59)

Man of the Match: Hilton Cartwright