The duo of KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan both scored sensational hundreds to carry India A to a 5-wicket victory over Australia A in the second unofficial Test. With this, they sealed the two-match Test series by 1-0 as the first game had ended as a draw. After being given a target of 412 runs, the Men in Blue managed to chase it down rather comfortably thanks to the two centuries on the fourth day. This comes just a day after both Rahul and Sudharsan were selected in India's squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, the India A bowlers struggled against the Aussies, who piled on runs on the opening day. Though they lost opener Campbell Kellaway early, Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney formed a strong stand to take their side's innings forward. The former would eventually be dismissed for 49 while the latter would depart on 74 before Jack Edwards' inning of 88 helped the Baggy Greens cross the 300-run mark.
With Australia restricted 329/9 at one stage, it looked like they would be bundled out before reaching the 350-run mark. However, valiant knocks of 76 and 39 by tail-enders Todd Murphy and Henry Thornton respectively, frustrated the Indian team and led the visitors to a strong first-inning total of 420. If not for left-arm spinner Manav Suthar's fifer, the Aussies could have gone on to even cross the 500-run mark.
In reply, the Indian batters failed to make muich of an impact as except for Sudharsan, none of them manged to cross even the 40-run mark. The left-hander's knock of 75 didn't prove to be enough as the hosts got bowled out for just 194 runs, handing Australia a formidable 226-run lead. Thornton was the star performer for the side with his figures of 4/36. But, the Baggy Greens failed to replicate their big total from the first inning and got bundled out for only 185 on the second occasion, giving a 412-run target for the hosts to chase.
Impressive comeback from Indian bowlers
Suthar and Gurnoor Brar picked up three wickets each while Mohammed Siraj and Yash Tahkur also contributed with two scalps each as India capped off a brilliant bowling performance. The hosts were also provided with a strong start to their chase by openers Narayan Jagadeesan and KL Rahul. The duo formed a valiant stand of 85 runs before the former lost his wicket for 36.
Rahul and Sudharsan's monumental knocks
Despite Devdutt Padikkal and Suthar's cheap dismissals, the duo of Rahul and Sudharsan formed a mammoth partnership and both of them would eventually go on to score sensational hundreds to power India to the massive target. The latter would lose his wicket for exactly 100 runs, but the former would keep on going and would remain unbeaten on 176, taking the Men in Blue to a memorable 5-wicket victory on the final day of the match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Notably, this is the sixth-highest successful run-chase in a first-class match held in India. The hundreds will definitely be a major confidence booster for both Rahul and Sudharsan heading into the West Indies Test series.