Deshpande, Kamboj wreak havoc to hand India A 1-0 lead

Deshpande, Kamboj Wreak Havoc to Hand India A 1-0 Lead

India A secured a 162-run victory in the first unofficial Test against Australia A in Puducherry, wrapping up the match shortly after lunch on the fourth day. The Australian batting lineup collapsed on a deteriorating pitch offering uneven bounce and turn, with only Nathan McSweeney and Fergus O’Neill providing brief resistance.

Fourth Day Action
Australia A resumed at 55/2 chasing 363. Captain Peter Handscomb and McSweeney started well but were dismissed by pacers Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande.

• Kamboj struck first, rearing a length ball to catch McSweeney at gully.
• Handscomb was bowled by a low-hitting delivery from Kamboj.
• Deshpande replaced Kamboj and extracted reverse swing, dismissing Josh Philippe and Liam Scott with sharp nip-backers.
• Jason Sangha launched Tanush Kotian for a six but was swept out by the offspinner, leaving Australia A at 124/7.

O’Neill and Todd Murphy shared a 67-run partnership, the highest of the innings. O’Neill attacked Kotian, hitting a slog-sweep for six, but fell short of a fifty when he slog-swept to deep mid-wicket. Shams Mulani, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, claimed the final three wickets to seal the win. Sai Sudharsan took a diving catch at leg gully to remove Murphy, and Shaik Rasheed took a diving catch at long off to end the contest.

Match Summary

• India A 1st Innings: 334 (Kumar Kushagra 113, Tanush Kotian 69, Sai Sudharsan 57)
• Australia A 1st Innings: 171 (Jason Sangha 46, Liam Scott 26)
• India A 2nd Innings: 199 (Devdutt Padikkal 59, Kumar Kushagra 46*)
• Australia A 2nd Innings: 200 (Fergus O’Neill 47, Nathan McSweeney 35)

Key Bowling Figures

• Shams Mulani: 7/124 (4-67 in 1st, 3-57 in 2nd)
• Tanush Kotian: 4/62 (2-31 in 1st, 2-31 in 2nd)
• Todd Murphy: 7/125 (3-77 in 1st, 4-48 in 2nd)
• Tushar Deshpande: 3/14
• Anshul Kamboj: 2/25