KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan score ducks as India A fold for 113 against NZ A

A listless batting performance by India A on day one of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A brought back familiar batting blues. Test openers KL Rahul (0) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (17), alongside Sai Sudharsan (0) and captain Dhruv Jurel (1), failed to leave a mark in Lincoln as the visitors were skittled out for just 113 in the first innings. Uncapped Yash Rathod top-scored with an unbeaten 44, while in-form Devdutt Padikkal scored a gritty 32 off 77 balls batting at number three.

The hosts won the toss and asked India A to bat first, with Rahul departing inside the first 15 minutes for an eight-ball duck, caught behind off Fraser Sheat. The two left-handers, Jaiswal and Padikkal, added 30 runs for the second wicket before Jaiswal was caught for 17 from 45 deliveries.

Sai Sudharsan, who was making his comeback to red-ball cricket after being left out of the recent Sri Lanka tour due to a hamstring injury, was dismissed for a 13-ball duck before the hosts sent back India A captain Jurel on 1. Padikkal, who looked comfortable in these challenging conditions, departed soon after, with India A reeling at 56 for five inside 29 overs. To make things worse, another Test regular and all-rounder, Washington Sundar, was the third batter to depart for a duck, leaving India A in all sorts of trouble.

Vidarbha batter Rathod stood tall at one end, striking boundaries to keep India A afloat in the first innings. However, with no support from the other end, as the wickets kept tumbling, Rathod remained unbeaten for 44, but India A were all out for just 113 in 39.3 overs.

WATCH India A Fall of Wickets -

All four seamers picked up the 10 wickets for New Zealand A, with Simon Keene returning with 5/24 and Zak Gibson with 3/29.