India A register record FC chase against Australia A: Stats
What's the story
India A made history by successfully chasing down a daunting target of 412 runs set by Australia A in the second unofficial Test. The match was played in Lucknow. The victory came on the back of stellar performances from KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan, who both scored centuries. Rahul remained unbeaten at 176 while Sudharsan contributed with a well-paced century of his own.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
Skipper Nathan McSweeney (74) and Jack Edwards (88) helped Australia A post 420 while batting first. Manav Suthar claimed a fifer. In response, India A could only manage 194 with Sai Sudharsan scoring a valiant 75. McSweeney (85*) and Josh Philippe (50) made fifties in Australia's second-innings score of 185/10. On Day 4, India A accomplished the massive 412-run target thanks to Rahul (176*), Sudharsan (100), and Dhruv Jurel (56).
Match highlights
Rahul, Sudharsan power India A to historic win
Rahul's unbeaten 176 was the highlight of India's innings, while Sudharsan's fluent 100 added to the team's total. Skipper Dhruv Jurel also chipped in with a quickfire 56 as India A chased down Australia's target before tea on Day 4. The win not only clinched the two-match series for India A but also marked just the sixth successful chase of over 400 runs in First-Class cricket in India, as per Sportstar.
Record chase
Sixth-highest successful run-chase in First-Class cricket in India
India A's successful chase of 412 runs is now the sixth-highest successful run chase in First-Class cricket in India. The highest remains West Zone's record-breaking effort in the 2010 Duleep Trophy final when it chased down South Zone's target of 536 with three wickets to spare. Other notable chases include South Zone's six-wicket win over England A (501 runs) in 2004 and Rest of India's four-wicket victory against Mumbai (480 runs) in 2016.
Sudharsan
Sudharsan gets to his eighth FC hundred
In the fourth innings, Sudharsan made 100 off 172 balls, a knock laced with nine fours and a six. This was his third successive 70-plus score. This was also his eighth hundred in First-Class cricket as he also boasts eight fifties, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Tamil Nadu batter has now raced to 2,345 runs across 34 games at an average of 38-plus. Notably, Sudharsan made his Test debut this year during the Leeds match against England.
Rahul
A look at Rahul's stats
Rahul's unbeaten 176 from 210 balls had 16 fours and four sixes. He has struck at a stunning 83.81. With scores of 11 and 176*, Rahul has raced to 8,217 runs in First-Class cricket from 111 matches at an average of 43-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo. He slammed his 22nd hundred in FC cricket (50s: 39). 3,789 of his runs have come in Tests at 35.41.