Devdutt Padikkal was the lone bright spot on the opening day of the first unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A, which started n Saturday at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The unofficial Tests are a part of India’s preparation for the two-match Test series, which starts on November 19. The Tests are a part of the World Test Championship.
Certainly the spotlights were on regular seniors KL Rahul and at the top of the batting order, who are keen to adapt to overseas bounce and swing. The India A side also features the likes of Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep and , who are also a part of the Indian Test squad.
Sent into bat first, the Indians didn’t had the best of the starts, losing Rahul in the third over of the day. The right-hander paid the price for chasing a widish delivery, offering a healthy edge behind the stumps to Mitchell hay off Fraser Sheat, and walked out after a eight-ball duck.
For the next 11 overs, it was and Jaiswal, who tried their best to counter the opposition in a 71-ball 30 run stand for the second wicket, before the latter edged to Matthew Boyle off Zak Gibson. Jaiswal survived 45 deliveries for his 17. However, the Indians lost wickets at regular intervals after that, with Gibson being the main destroyer.
Padikkal top scored with 32. At the time of writing, India A were 90/9 in the 38th over, with Yash Rathod and Mukesh Choudhary batting.
New Zealand A: Rhys Mariu(c), Curtis Heaphy, Tim Robinson, Matthew Boyle, Dean Foxcroft, Mitchell Hay(w), Simon Keene, Kristian Clarke, Fraser Sheat, Jayden Lennox, Zak Gibson
India A: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel(w/c), Yash Rathod, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Mukesh Choudhary
Sony Sports Network is the official live streaming partner of India A tour of New Zealand for Indian audiences. The India A vs New Zealand A 1st unofficial Test is streamed live on Sony LIV app and website. Viewers with eligible subscription can also catch live action on Airtel Xstream Play.
Although, New Zealand Cricket YouTube channel is streaming the match live, but it has not made it available for Indian audiences.
