India A endured a disastrous start to their unofficial Test series against New Zealand A, folding for a paltry 113 runs inside the opening day on a challenging green-top pitch at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval on Saturday. The star-studded visiting batting lineup struggled significantly to cope with the movement and bounce offered by the seaming track, leaving the team under immense pressure early in the fixture.
Batting Collapse And Bowling Brilliance
Right-arm seamer Simon Keene wreaked havoc on the Indian middle and lower order, finishing with an impressive five-wicket haul of 5/24. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal managed 17 runs off 45 balls before edging to the slips off Zak Gibson, who claimed 3/29, while fellow opener KL Rahul fell for a duck. Devdutt Padikkal offered the most resistance among the specialists with 32 runs from 77 deliveries. Yash Rathod played a counter-attacking knock of an unbeaten 44 off 49 balls, striking three sixes and three fours to push the total past the 100-run mark before running out of partners as the innings collapsed with five ducks recorded overall.
- India A dismissed for a low total of 113 runs on Day 1.
- Simon Keene picks up 5/24 for New Zealand A.
- Yash Rathod top-scores with an unbeaten 44 off 49 balls.
- Auqib Nabi strikes twice late in the day as New Zealand A reach 135/3.
New Zealand A Take Control
In response, New Zealand A surpassed the visitor’s first-innings total, driven by a solid opening partnership between skipper Rhys Mariu and Curtis Heaphy. Mariu top-scored with a fluent 76 off 137 balls, featuring 12 boundaries, before being trapped leg-before-wicket by Mukesh Choudhary. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi provided some late respite for the bowling side by dismissing Jayden Lennox and Tim Robinson on consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over of the day. When stumps were drawn, New Zealand A stood at 135 for 3, establishing a 22-run lead with seven wickets remaining in their first innings.
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