Sam Konstas’ unbeaten 73 guided Australia A to a six-wicket victory over India A, securing a 2-0 win in the unofficial two-match Test series on Saturday. Chasing a target of 168, Australia A found themselves in early trouble, losing two wickets in the very first over. However, Konstas remained steady at one end and saw his team home during the extended 45 minutes of play on the third day in Melbourne.
Konstas was supported by opener Nathan McSweeney (25), with the pair adding 47 runs for the third wicket to stabilise the innings. Australia A faced another tough situation when they lost both McSweeney and Oliver Davies (21) in quick succession, leaving them at 73/4.
Poor show from KL Rahul and top-order
India A’s second innings saw a strong fightback despite the early collapse of their top order. With a target in mind, India A’s batsmen had to show some fight to stay competitive. The top order, including KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Abhimanyu Easwaran, failed to convert starts, leaving India A in trouble. Despite this, the lower order showed some quality performance.
The poor performance from the opening batters raises questions about who will replace Rohit Sharma in the opening spot, as he might not be part of the team for the first Test of Border-Gavaskar series.
The Dhruv Jurel show
The innings was anchored by Dhruv Jurel, who top-scored with 68 off 122 balls. Jurel’s innings had five boundaries. He held the innings together after the early wickets fell, showing his maturity and skill. Alongside him, Nitish Kumar Reddy played a valuable knock of 38 runs from 81 balls, striking at 46.91 and adding some much-needed stability.
The middle order witnessed some valuable contributions from Tanush Kotian (44 off 84 balls) and Prasidh Krishna (29 off 43 balls), both of whom made important contributions in helping India A reach a total of 229 runs. However, the innings was disrupted by some sharp bowling from Rocchiccioli and Webster, who claimed multiple wickets.
Prasidh Krishna gives a fight
Prasidh Krishna delivered a superb performance in Australia A’s second innings, contributing a lot with the ball as India A sought to defend a modest target. Bowling with pace and accuracy, Krishna made an early impact, claiming two important wickets that kept India A’s hopes alive.
His most important contribution came early in the innings when he dismissed Marcus Harris (0) and Cameron Bancroft (0), both of whom fell without troubling the scorers. Krishna’s ability to generate bounce and maintain a steady line and length troubled both batters and his efforts were rewarded with well-deserved wickets.
Match brief summary
Australia A won the toss and elected to field first. India A, batting first, was restricted to a modest total of 161 in their first innings. Australia A responded with 223, taking a 62-run lead. In their second innings, India A struggled again, posting 229, setting a target of 168 for Australia A. The Australian side chased down the target with ease, reaching 169/4, led by solid knocks from Sam Konstas (73) and Beau Webster (46).
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