Rising youngsters Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal hit the fifties after Mukesh Kumar's blistering six-wicket haul to put India A in command with a 120-run lead against Australia A on day two of their first 'Unofficial Test' in Mackay on Friday. Mukesh stole the show, claiming 6/46 to help India A restrict Australia A to 195 in their first innings, but despite the Bangladeshi seamer's heroic efforts, the hosts secured a crucial 88-run lead. The visitors had scored 107 in their first essay.
India A got off to another nervous start in their second innings, with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (5) and fellow opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (12) coming out cheaply to reduce India to 30/2 in 8.5 overs.
Gaikwad, who fell for a golden duck in the first innings, this time tapped Fergus O'Neill to second slip where Cameron Bancroft took a low catch.
While Easwaran, who had scored four consecutive first-class centuries to earn a spot in the senior team as cover for skipper Rohit Sharma for the upcoming Test series against Australia, recorded another single-figure score, this time running out while supporting Sai Sudharsan.
But thereafter, Sudharsan and Padikkal showed fine temperaments and soaked up the pressure on the bouncy pitch to produce an unbroken 178-run stand for the third wicket to help India seize control.
Sudharsan hit nine boundaries in his 185-ball 96, while Padikkal was unbeaten on 80 off 167 balls, scoring five fours.
Padikkal played a patient yet composed knock, working the ball around for quick singles and taking advantage of loose deliveries to reach his fifty.
On the other hand, Sudharsan showed his range of shots, especially adept at shooting anything short, cutting and pulling with precision.
His well-timed boundaries, which included a powerful pull over square leg and a fluid cover drive, enabled him to reach his own half-century as they took the team past the 200 mark.
India A now has an overall lead of 120 runs with two days to go in the four-day match.
The second and final unofficial test is scheduled for November 7 in Melbourne.
Earlier resuming at 99/4 on Day 2, overnight batters Nathan McSweeney (39) and Cooper Connolly (37) added 51 runs for the fifth wicket, the first fifty-run stand of the match.
However, Mukesh, who bagged two wickets on the opening day, broke the partnership again by dismissing Connolly.
Josh Philippe became Mukesh's fourth victim while Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed captain McSweeney, leaving Australia A reeling at 136/7 in 47.4 overs.
A frustrating 41-run tie for the eighth wicket between Todd Murphy (33) and O'Neill (13) was finally broken when Prasidh Krishna claimed the latter on his way to his third scalp.
Mukesh rounded off his excellent performance by completing his five-wicket haul with the wicket of Brendan Doggett and then adding Todd Murphy as his sixth, wrapping up Australia A's innings.
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