India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (left) with his Australia A counterpart Nathan McSweeney at the toss. (Cricket Australia)
India A were bowled out for 107 in the first innings of their first unofficial Test against Australia A at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, Queensland.
The tourists struggled against the pace and movement of the Australia A fast bowlers after being put in to bat on Thursday.
India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was among three Indian batters dismissed for 0, while Devdutt Padikkal top-scored with a solid 36. Besides Padikkal, only Navdeep Saini (23) and Sai Sudharsan (21) managed to reach double figures for India A.
Castled!! Brendan Doggett has a career-best SIX wickets 🔥 #AUSAvINDA pic.twitter.com/SJaozmlZt7
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 31, 2024
Abhimanyu Easwaran, playing in his 100th first-class game, scored only 7, while all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who earned his maiden Test call-up for the Australia tour, departed without troubling the scorers.
Experienced player Baba Indrajith battled for 46 balls before falling for 9, and Ishan Kishan managed only 4 on his return to the India A lineup.
Australian wicketkeeper Josh Philippe took five catches behind the stumps, reflecting the mode of dismissal. The India A batters appeared tentative, often prodding at deliveries on the fourth and fifth stumps, edging them behind to the keeper or to the slip cordon.
For Australia, 30-year-old Brendon Doggett registered career-best figures with 6/23. Jordan Buckingham (2/18), Fergus O’Neill (1/29), and off-spinner Todd Murphy (1/26) also contributed to the wickets.
Mukesh gets Konstas in the first over! #AUSAvINDA pic.twitter.com/8E61yX0zTM
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 31, 2024
In response, Australia A lost Sam Konstas cheaply, with Mukesh Kumar striking in the first over. Konstas has been tipped as a possible replacement for David Warner in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. Prasidh Krishna has removed another Test hopeful Cameron Bancroft on a duck.
