India A asserted complete dominance over New Zealand A on Day 2 of the third unofficial Test, posting a massive 464/5 declared before reducing the hosts to a precarious 36/2 by stumps.
Resuming the day built upon Yashasvi Jaiswal's majestic century (102) from Day 1, India A’s middle order relentlessly turned the screws on the Kiwi bowling attack. B Sai Sudharsan, captain Dhruv Jurel, Tilak Varma, and Washington Sundar all scored fluent half-centuries to construct a towering lead. Armed with a mammoth 428-run lead, India A’s pace attack, led by a fiery spell from Prasidh Krishna, struck early blows under the afternoon sky to put New Zealand A squarely on the back foot.
India A dominate New Zealand A on Day 2
India A entered Day 2 in a commanding position, courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brilliant ton on the opening day. Jaiswal’s knock set the perfect tone for the rest of the batting order, establishing early control over the conditions and neutralizing the New Zealand seamers.
When play resumed on Day 2, the primary objective for India A was to capitalize on the hard work of the opening day and pile up a total that would effectively bat New Zealand A out of the match. With a deep batting lineup featuring in-form players, the visitors execution was clinical across all three sessions.
India A’s middle-and-lower order systematically ground down the host bowling unit, which suffered mid-match setbacks as fast bowlers Danru Ferns (back trouble) and Jarrod McKay (side strain) battled injuries.
Dhruv, Sudharsan, Tilak cracks suberb fifties
Resuming alongside Dhruv Jurel in the morning session, opener B Sai Sudharsan picked up where he left off. Showing immense composure and flawless technical discipline, Sudharsan continued to rotate the strike with ease while punishing loose deliveries. Although he was eventually bowled by Zak Gibson for a meticulous 88 off 255 balls, falling 12 runs short of a well-deserved century—his marathonic effort anchored India A’s innings through its most crucial phase.
Captain Dhruv Jurel provided the immediate impetus on Day 2, playing a counter-attacking knock that kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace. Fresh off a century in the second unofficial Test, Jurel picked up his second successive fifty-plus score of the series. Striking 9 boundaries and 2 colossal sixes, Jurel raced to 71 off just 95 deliveries before mistiming a short ball off Cameron Paul to deep backward square leg. His 66-run partnership with Sudharsan for the third wicket laid the groundwork for India A's massive total.
Following Jurel's dismissal, experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja joined Tilak Varma at 306/4. Jadeja played a solid supporting role, accumulating 25 runs off 71 deliveries during a steady 44-run partnership. His stay ended when he edged a Zak Gibson delivery to Matthew Boyle at first slip, but by then, India A was already comfortably past the 350-run mark.
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The final flourish belonged to Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, who put on an unbroken, blistering partnership that tore apart a fatigued New Zealand A bowling lineup.
Tilak Varma displayed supreme timing, arraying sweet drives and delicate touch play to finish unbeaten on 81 runs.
Washington Sundar matched Tilak stroke for stroke, bringing up a rapid 50 not out to complete a clean sweep of half-centuries among India’s top six batters.
Once Sundar reached his milestone, India A declared their innings at an imposing 464/5.
Faced with a daunting task of surviving the final session against a fresh Indian pace attack consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Choudhary, and Mukesh Kumar, New Zealand A’s top order stumbled almost immediately.
Prasidh Krishna strikes twice to leave NZ A reeling
Jasprit Bumrah set the tone with a tight 6-over opening spell, swinging the ball both ways and keeping the Kiwi openers on high alert. However, it was Prasidh Krishna who delivered the decisive breakthroughs.
Rhys Mariu (0): Trapped by an unplayable delivery from Prasidh early in the innings, departing for an 8-ball duck.
Curtis Heaphy (19): Attempted to weather the storm with a 35-ball 19, but was pinned leg-before-wicket by another sharp delivery from Prasidh.
By the time nightwatchman Zak Gibson (1*) joined Dean Foxcroft (10*), New Zealand A was tottering at 36/2 in 14 overs. With the hosts still trailing by a colossal 428 runs heading into Day 3, India A firmly holds all the trumps in the match.
Talking about the first two matches, it kicked off with India A caught on the back foot immediately in the opener. Put into bat under dense overhead cover, the visitors were blown away by a relentless Kiwi seam attack. Simon Keene’s blistering 5/24 and Zak Gibson’s 3/29 ripped through the order, skittling India A for a paltry 113 in under 40 overs—with only Yash Rathod (44*) and Devdutt Padikkal (32) offering any meaningful fight. New Zealand A seized total control as conditions softened, replying with a strong 317 built on Rhys Mariu’s stylish 76.
Staring down a massive 204-run first-innings deficit, India A mounted an extraordinary response. Their lower-middle order unleashed a barrage of runs, piling up a mammoth 516 to set the hosts a stiff target. India’s pacers then tore through the Kiwi chase, reducing them to 187/9. With just one wicket needed for a dramatic comeback victory, New Zealand A’s tailenders hung on by their fingernails to force a tense draw.
Match 2: Jaiswal’s Counter-Punch (Drawn)
The second encounter saw New Zealand A once again win the toss and field, but India A put up far stiffer resistance this time around. A collection of gutsy middle-order fifties carried the visitors to a respectable 346. However, New Zealand A answered with a towering 424, driven by a game-changing 208-run stand between centurion Matthew Boyle (110) and Dean Foxcroft (93). Heavy workhorses Mukesh Kumar (5/87) and Mohammed Siraj (4/118) bowled their hearts out to cap the hosts' first-innings lead at 78.
With top-order wickets falling cheaply in the second innings and defeat looming, Yashasvi Jaiswal delivered a stroke-playing masterclass. The opener launched a breathtaking counter-attack, smashing an undefeated 155 off just 162 deliveries alongside a fluent century from Yash Rathod. Their unbroken stand effortlessly erased the deficit, driving India A to 282/2 before the match ended in another high-scoring stalemate.