Follow UsThe Ekana Stadium in Lucknow was witness to one of the best chases of the year in red-ball cricket as India ‘A’ sensationally chased down 412 against Australia ‘A’ with five wickets to spare, to clinch the two-match unofficial Test series 1-0. And the victory was set up by a remarkable 176* from team India incumbent opener KL Rahul, who warmed up for the West Indies Test series perfectly by playing one of the best knocks of his first-class career.
After getting bowled out for 194 in response to Australia A’s 420, a target of 413 in the fourth innings looked near impossible to chase down on paper. But Rahul, Sai Sudharsan (100), and Dhruv Jurel (56), all of whom will play the first West Indies Test next week, played out of their skin to secure a sensational victory for the hosts.
Rahul’s 176* featured 16 fours and 4 sixes, and it came in rapid time as he batted at a strike rate of 83.81. He laid the foundation for the mammoth chase, and everyone else, including his opening partner Narayan Jagadeesan (36), chipped in with valuable hands to help India ‘A’ seal the series.
Off-spinners Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli took all five wickets to fall in the fourth innings, but lack of support from the seamers meant that the visitors were unable to seal the deal despite setting a daunting target.
On day three, Rahul had retired hurt due to illness, but he came back on day four after the fall of Manav Suthar’s wicket, completed a century, built a match-winning stand with Sudharsan and then saw the chase home.
This four-day game will now be preceded by an unofficial three-match ODI series. The action will shift to Kanpur, and India ‘A’ will be led by Shreyas Iyer.