Puducherry, Sep 24 (IANS) Captain Devdutt Padikkal made a fluent 59 while in-form Kumar Kushagra chipped in with an unbeaten 46, before India A bowlers reduced Australia A to 55/2 at stumps on Day Three of the first four-day match here on Thursday.
At stumps, Australia A require another 308 runs to win, with captain Peter Handscomb and Nathan McSweeney (23 not out) at the crease. India A, who had earned a massive 163-run first-innings lead after bundling out Australia A for 171 on day two, chose against enforcing the follow-on.
Resuming their second innings, India A had to contend with a Siechem Ground pitch that started offering uneven bounce, with balls either shooting low at ankle height or rearing up sharply from a length.
Despite the difficult conditions, captain Padikkal and his deputy B. Sai Sudharsan (39) added 68 runs for the second wicket to consolidate India A’s position after opener Aman Mokhade (9) fell early to Brendan Doggett.
Padikkal brought up his half-century off 72 balls and used his feet well against off-spinner Todd Murphy, while dispatching Liam Scott for back-to-back boundaries. His knock eventually ended when a short ball from Scott stayed low and trapped him LBW. Scott also removed Yash Rathod (12) to finish with figures of 2 for 22.
Murphy proved to be Australia A’s most successful bowler, taking 4-48 by relentlessly targeting the rough and attacking the stumps. Doggett picked up 2-21, including bowling a short ball that struck Kushagra on the chin.
Kushagra, however, continued aggressively after receiving medical treatment by hitting two sixes off Murphy in his 59-ball 46 before running out of partners as India A were bowled out for 199.
He did not take the field for wicketkeeping duties later in the evening, with substitute N Jagadeesan donning the gloves. Chasing 363, Australia A suffered an early blow when fast bowler Tushar Deshpande trapped opener Campbell Kellaway lbw for a duck with a sharp inswinger in the second over.
Sam Konstas (20) and McSweeney added 47 runs for the second wicket to steady the chase briefly. But off-spinner Tanush Kotian broke the stand around 15 minutes before stumps by trapping Konstas LBW.
With the pitch cracking up and offering increasingly unpredictable bounce, spinners Kotian and Shams Mulani are expected to play a key role on the final day as India A press for victory.
Brief scores:
India A 334 & 199 (Devdutt Padikkal 59, Kumar Kushagra 46 not out; Todd Murphy 4-48, Brendan Doggett 2-21) lead Australia A 171 & 55/2 (Nathan McSweeney 23 not out, Tushar Deshpande 1-5, Tanush Kotian 1-8) by 308 runs
–IANS
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