India A and Australia A drew the first unofficial Test between the two teams
For India, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal were the stars while Sam Konstas came back to form for Australia
Shreyas Iyer and Prasidh Krishna failed for India A
India A and Australia A ended up drawing the first unofficial Test after big batting displays from both the sides. India A replied with 531/7 declared in their first innings to remain one short of Australia A's first innings total. In the second innings, Australia A openers played out 16 overs without damage as both the skippers agreed to draw the game.
While the match itself was a boring one and did not improve much of any side, but there were individual performances that stood out while some big names also failed. Here are three players each who were the biggest hits of this match and three players who could not make it big.
India A vs Australia A hits
Devdutt Padikkal
Run scoring was easy in Lucknow and Padikkal made the best out of it. The Karnataka left-hander slammed 150 and was the highest scorer in the match across both sides. Padikkal is aiming to make a comeback into the Indian side and this innings would definitely help him move towards an India spot.
Sam Konstas
The young right-hander who smashed Jasprit Bumrah all around the park on his debut was struggling with form since that blitzkrieg. However, he made full use of the flat pitch and some poor bowling from India A to score 109 in the first innings and then 27 more in the second without getting out.
Dhruv Jurel
The wicket-keeper batter was another outstanding performer in the Indian side. He hit 140 from only 197 balls with four sixes, joint-most in the match. As India look to settle down on their middle order, this innings from Jurel will act as another reminder that he can be looked at as solely as batter as well.
India A vs Australia A misses
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Despite being with the Indian squad for some time now, Easwaran is yet to play for India. He has a brilliant domestic record but has not quite grabbed his chances with the 'A' side. This match was yet another failure for the Bengal opener who scored only 44 runs on a batting paradise. If Easwaran has to break into the Indian side, he will have to cash in on these opportunities.
Shreyas Iyer
In his comeback game after the IPL final, Iyer could not do much as he was dismissed for just eight by off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, the bowling type he usually dominates. This could be a one-off poor outing but Iyer is expected to rack up big scores, especially on flat surfaces.
Prasidh Krishna
The most experienced bowler of the attack, Krishna was expected to spearhead the bowling unit. However, he was yet again all over the place and splurged 86 runs off 16 overs at an economy of 5.4 in the first innings. He also went wicketless. Despite possessing all the skills, the lanky right-arm pacer has just not been able to bowl with control and that was once again on display in the 1st unofficial Test.
