India A Fight Back Against New Zealand A as Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan Rescue Team

India A are facing a challenging situation in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A but showed signs of recovery on the second day. After conceding a first-innings lead of 204 runs, India A finished Sunday’s play at 106/2 in their second innings, still trailing by 98 runs. The team suffered an early setback at 10/2, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul dismissed for five and four runs, respectively. Devdutt Padikkal remained unbeaten on 56, while Sai Sudharsan was not out on 39, helping India A regain some stability.

The pair put together an unbeaten 96-run partnership to keep India A in contention. Earlier, New Zealand A resumed their first innings at 135/3 and went on to score 317 before being bowled out. Dean Foxcroft contributed 51 runs, while Christian Clarke added 42. India’s bowlers Anshul Kamboj and Aqib Nabi claimed three wickets each, while Akash Deep took two. India A had earlier been dismissed for just 113 in their first innings, leaving them with a substantial deficit to overcome.