India A folded for 113 against New Zealand A: Details
What's the story
India A's batting line-up suffered a major collapse in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The Dhruv Jurel-led side could only manage a paltry 113 runs in their first innings. Five Indian batsmen failed to open their accounts, while the top order struggled to build partnerships on a grass-covered pitch that favored fast bowlers.
Early wickets
Early dismissals put India A under pressure
India A's woes began with the early dismissals of Dhruv Jurel and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Rahul was out for a duck after facing eight balls, edging Fraser Sheat behind the stumps.
Jaiswal managed to score only 17 runs off 45 balls before being dismissed by Zak Gibson.
Further collapses
Devdutt Padikkal's slow 32 runs couldn't save India A
The batting collapse continued with the dismissals of Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar for just one run each.
Jurel was dismissed by Simon Keene while Sundar failed to open his account altogether.
Devdutt Padikkal managed to score a slow 32 runs off 77 balls, but couldn't convert his start into a big innings as wickets kept falling at the other end.
Lone fightback
Yash Rathod shines in the midst of collapse
Amid the batting collapse, Yash Rathod was the only one who looked comfortable against the opposition.
He remained unbeaten on 44 off 49 balls while batting at six, hitting three fours and three sixes.
Rathod's counter-attack helped India A cross the 100-run mark before the innings ended at 113.
Notably, Rathod and Padikkal were the only ones to score over 20.
Bowling brilliance
New Zealand A's bowlers shine on grass-covered pitch
New Zealand A's bowlers, especially Keene, were exceptional on the day. He took five wickets for just 24 runs in 11.3 overs.
Gibson picked up three wickets for 29 runs, while Sheat and Kristian Clarke chipped in with a wicket each.
The grass on the surface clearly aided the bowlers who exploited it to perfection and kept India A under pressure throughout their innings.