India A 152 for 5 (Rayudu 62*, Krunal 49, Richardson 3-27) beat Australia A 151 all out (Agar 34, Head 28, Siraj 4-68, Gowtham 3-31) by five wickets
Yo-yo fitness is one thing, scoring runs under pressure another. While an opportunity to seal an ODI middle order berth in England bypassed him because of fitness issues, Ambati Rayudu, drafted into the India A squad less than 24 hours earlier, stood tall to make 62 not out in a hardworking five-wicket win in the Quadrangular series opener in Bengaluru.
He was assisted in equal measure by Krunal Pandya, who showed he could be the missing link in India’s middle order – someone capable of providing batting solidity apart from chipping in with the ball. Krunal, who walked out to bat with India A tottering at 29 for 4 in a 152 chase, made a measured 49. Nitish Rana, who came in at No. 7, polished the remaining runs off in the 39th over as India A also walked away with a bonus point.
Rayudu’s methods were admirable, not because of the end result but because of that cliched word – process. He didn’t play a shot in anger, was assured in his feet movements and didn’t jab at the ball. This helped him fight through a searing Billy Stanlake and Jhye Richardson burst. Once the hard work was done, he picked up runs against the spinners. Krunal too was sensible in acknowledging he was better off rotating strike and playing second fiddle.
Prior to the repair job though, Stanlake troubled the top order with bounce, while Richardson’s accuracy helped him generate just enough movement off the deck to make life difficult for the batsmen. The reward was three top order wickets, all to Richardson. The pair then had Shreyas Iyer and Rayudu hopping and defending, until the lunch break came as a relief for a stuttering India A, who went into the interval at 24 for 3 in 10 overs. Australia A’s position in the game was suddenly less vulnerable than it had been an hour earlier.
Post lunch, When Iyer was out caught at slip off an Ashton Agar delivery that turned sharply, India A were on the mat. But once spin came on from both ends, both Rayudu and Krunal found run-accumulation much easier. The pair took India A to within 14 runs of victory when Krunal fell for 49. By then, the pair had added 112 for the fifth wicket. The stand was more industrious than enterprising but it did the job for India A.
For Australia A, this was a game of missed opportunities with the bat. In their first proper hit on tour after a frustrating week in Vijayawada because of rain, they were undone by pace and spin alike. Their scoreboard read a miserable 151 all out in 31.3 overs, in conditions batsmen die for to find form.
At the toss, Travis Head, the Australia A captain, had the eagerness of a restless child finally unleashed after being confined indoors against his wishes. He decided to bat too, a right call scorecard notwithstanding. But that’s where the cheer ended as far as the batting was concerned.
With prior IPL experience playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Head looked the most comfortable for Australia, stroking a 38-ball 28, until he was beaten by K Gowtham’s indrifter that dipped and sneaked through the gap between bat and pad. An improved white-ball bowler courtesy his IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals, Gowtham then had Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw – both of whom have had Test experiences to bank on in India – to leave Australia A tottering at 76 for 5.
There was no respite at the other end either. Mohammed Siraj – who picked up 29 wickets in four first-class games this summer – carried his red-ball form to the shorter formats too, cutting through the lower order to pick four wickets. A bruising 34 from Ashton Agar hurt Siraj’s final analysis, which still read a creditable 10-0-68-4. Agar also ensured Australia A’s innings stretched past the 30-over mark, although that was no consolation by any means.
Australia A’s batsmen largely had themselves to blame. D’Arcy Short slapped a short and wide ball to Rayudu, who took a catch on the second grab at cover in the fourth over. Usman Khawaja,vying for the opener’s slot for Australia’s UAE tour, got a brute from Khaleel Ahmed. The left-arm pacer is being groomed for he brings variety that is fast becoming a rarity in Indian cricket since the days of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan.
There’s Barinder Sran, who made his debut in 2016, but has since drifted away because of form and injuries. This presents Ahmed a chance to further strengthen his case. He squared Khawaja up with a length ball that left him late to take the edge as Suryakumar Yadav gobbled a simple catch at slip.
Peter Handscomb, who prior to the match had spoken about how he was battle-ready for the spin challenge, didn’t back his words, getting stumped down the leg-side, as a he walked past a Gowtham delivery that was shortened in length and spun sharply. Sanju Samson was alert to the opportunity and completed an excellent leg-side stumping. The collapse was full-blown when Alex Carey, being groomed for captaincy, slashed at Siraj’s away-going delivery to the wicketkeeper. This left Agar with much to do, before Deepak Chahar finished off the innings.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo