Australia A asserted absolute authority over India A on the second day of the second unofficial Test match in Puducherry. Having built a solid first-innings score of 358, the touring Australian side dismantled the top order of India A, leaving the hosts struggling at 122 for 5 at stumps. The home team now faces a steep 236-run deficit, a dramatic shift in fortunes for a side that claimed a comfortable 162-run victory at the exact same venue just one week prior. India A, who beat Australia A by 162 runs at this very Puducherry ground a week ago, are well behind in this one, trailing by 236, after two days of play.
Lower-Order Resilience Pushes First-Innings Total to 358
Resuming the second morning at 282, Australia A added 76 critical runs to their overnight total. Wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper, who had already anchored the innings from a precarious 104 for 5 on the opening day, extended his stay to 128. His dismissal carried a touch of drama, as the visiting camp believed the Indian side initiated their DRS caught-behind referral after the allotted timer had already expired. Further down the order, lower-order contributions kept the scoreboard ticking over
- Jhye Richardson scored a key 31 before being bowled by Tanush Kotian with the team score at 330.
- Corey Rocchiccioli contributed 16 runs from the number ten spot.
- Anshul Kamboj wrapped up the innings by removing Liam Hatcher, finishing with figures of 3 for 34.
- Nachiket Bhute (3-44) and Shams Mulani (3-92) also bagged three wickets each during the innings.
Spin Dominance Leaves Hosts Struggling
India A experienced a nightmarish start to their reply when Aayush Pandey was dismissed in the opening over by Jhye Richardson. Off-spinner Todd Murphy then seized control, probing the left-handed duo of Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal with sharp drift, dip, and turn. Murphy bowled Sudharsan for 8 off 35 deliveries before Corey Rocchiccioli bypassed Padikkal’s defence with a low-bounding ball to end his fluent knock of 31.
Murphy continued his disciplined spell by removing Yash Rathod, eventually ending the day with exceptional figures of 2 for 26 from 17 overs. Medium-pacer Liam Scott added to India A’s woes by dismissing previous match centurion Kumar Kushagra. By the final over of the day, four close catchers surrounded Shaik Rasheed (36 not out), illustrating Australia A’s dominant stance heading into Day 3.
