India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test, Day 2, Review: Ankit Bawne's gritty 91 helps his team churn a crucial lead

The second day of the ongoing four-day Test between India A and Australia A at the Chinnaswamy Stadium turned out to be pretty eventful. A total of 11 wickets fell in the day and it was the visitors who made a comeback stunningly thanks to Michael Neser’s brilliant bowling. However, Ankit Bawne’s gritty knock of 91 runs made sure that the hosts took a crucial lead of 31 runs which could prove decisive in the context of the game.

The opening duo of Mayank Agarwal and Ravikumar Samarth continued from where they left off yesterday and stitched a 62-run stand for the first wicket. But the former lost his wicket after which his partner was also sent back which triggered a mini-collapse. From 62/0, India A were reduced to 127/5 thanks to some relentless bowling from Michael Neser and Jon Holland.

Bawne stands tall

However, Ankit Bawne walked out to the middle only to bring calmness to the proceedings. He got an able partner in Krishnappa Gowtham as they added 51 runs for the sixth wickets after which Kuldeep Yadav also spent time on the 22 yards. A 47-run partnership between Kuldeep and Bawne took the home side close to the opponent’s score in the first innings.

But Bawne stayed put and strived for more runs. He took the tail-enders and churned out an important lead of 31 runs for his team. He stayed unbeaten on 91 and was unfortunate to miss out on a well-deserved ton as India A were bowled out for 274 runs in 83.1 overs. Neser and Holland were the best bowlers for Australia A as they shared seven wickets between them.

The visitors, in their second innings, started cautiously but lost one of their openers Kurtis Patterson. Mohammed Siraj, their chief tormentor in the first innings, provided the break-through once again. However, the duo of Usman Khawaja and Travis Head didn’t deter and played out the tricky period. Australia A ended the day on 42/1 with a lead of 11 runs. They would love to put bat as much as they can tomorrow and set a challenging total in front of the hosts.

Brief Score

Australia A 243 after 75.3 overs (U Khawaja 127; M Siraj 8/59) & 42/1 after 16 overs (U Khawaja 16*)

India A 274 after 83.1 overs (A Bawne 91*, M Agarwal 47; M Neser 4/61, J Holland 3/89)

State of the Match: Australia A lead by 11 runs in the second innings

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