The first unofficial Test between India A and Australia A is being played in Lucknow starting September 16: follow the live score and updates from the match.
Established and upcoming players will be in action from both sides across the two four-day matches, set to be played in Lucknow. The touring Australia team will see it as an opportunity to build their bench strength for subcontinental conditions, while also testing some of their Ashes hopefuls against a strong Indian lineup.
Also read: Four questions India’s A series v Australia could answer for the Test team
India A vs Australia A: What are the squads for the unofficial Tests?
Australia A squad
Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Liam Scott, Sam Konstas, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O'Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli
India A squad
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur. Second match only: KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj
Also read: Why the Australia A series is the perfect chance for Shreyas Iyer to turn his red-ball career around
India A vs Australia A: Schedule
September 16-19: First unofficial Test, Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
September 23-26: Second unofficial Test, Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
The four-day Tests will be followed by three one-day matches, all in Kanpur.
The opening day of the first unofficial Test was delayed by rain.
India A vs Australia A: Live score and updates from day 1
Match drawn
The teams have shaken hands on a draw, with Australia A 56-0 in 16 overs. An inevitable result, after all the rain we've had.
Australia openers continue to excel
Konstas and Kellaway have been equally comfortable in this innings as the last, bringing up another 50-run partnership.
India A declare
After the rain break, the hosts declare with a one-run deficit, perhaps to give their bowlers the chance of a better outing second time around.
Early tea taken
We've lost almost the entire second session to rain. The good news is that the rain appears to have relented, and the delay now is due to the wet outfield.
Rain stops play... again
The weather has been a constant feature of this game, and now interrupts with India A just one run behind Australia!
Harsh Dubey on the charge
He hits Todd Murphy for four and six in the first over after lunch, and India A trail by two runs.
Padikkal goes!
150 and out for the left-hander, who falls on the last ball before lunch – India A are 12 runs behind, with three wickets in hand.
Padikkal gets to 150!
He's sped up in the morning session today, and he gets there off 275 balls. This is the fourth time Padikkal has gone past 150 in his first-class career.
First six for Padikkal!
Off the 260th ball of his innings, Devdutt Padikkal hits Cooper Connolly over long-on for six.
It brings up the 500 for India A.
Kotian departs with India A 41 behind
Offie gets offie as Corey Rocchiccioli gets rid of Tanush Kotian. India A are 491-6.
Jurel departs; India five down
Fergus O'Neill strikes in the first session to remove Jurel for 140. India A are 450-5, trailing by 82.
Century for Padikkal!
The Karnataka left-hander gets to the mark in patient fashion, off 198 balls. It's his seventh in first-class cricket.
India A responded strongly to Australia A's imposing total on the third day of the first unofficial Test between the sides in Lucknow. Read more here.
Stumps on day 3
Jurel ends the day on 113*, Padikkal on 86*
Century for Dhruv Jurel!
He takes only 114 balls to reach the mark. It's now his second FC ton, after the double century against Nagaland a few years ago.
Jurel into the 90s now
Can he get to his second first-class ton?
Fifty for Devdutt as well
In fairly contrasting style to Jurel, Padikkal gets to his fifty too.
Fifty for Dhruv Jurel!
He's raced to the milestone with a flurry of boundaries: four, six, six and four.
A short stay for Shreyas Iyer
The India A skipper is trapped lbw by off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli for eight.
Sai Sudharsan out for 73
Shreyas Iyer has walked in.
Fifty for Sai Sudharsan
Can he go on to convert it into three figures?
Padikkal is in at four
Sai Sudharsan is at the other end, slowly building towards a fifty
Inspection planned at 10.40am
Sportstar reports that the umpires should be doing an inspection now, with showers subsided and covers coming off.
The prediction is quite bleak
Jagadeesan out for 64
Xavier Bartlett gets his first wicket.
Day 3: Rain continues in Lucknow
The start has been delayed
India A ended the second day of the first unofficial Test on 116-1, still trailing Australia A by 416 runs.
It's stumps on day 2
Rain forces an early end to the day. Just 118 overs bowled across the two days.
There was heavy shower and thunderstorms in Lucknow post lunch.
India A start strong
Easwaran and Jagadeesan have put on 50 for the first wicket.
Lunch: India trail by 529
Openers N Jagadeesan and Abhimanyu Easwaran see off three overs to take India to 3-0 at the end of the first session.
Australia A declare
They close the innings on 532-6, after blitzes from Philippe (123* off 87) and Xavier Bartlett (39* off 24).
Century for Philippe!
He's stepped on the accelerator, going from 50 to 100 in just 25 balls!
Fifty for Josh Philippe!
The wicketkeeper becomes the fifth player in his side to reach a half-century in this innings.
Brar strikes early on day two
The Punjab quick gets rid of Liam Scott for 81, to end an 81-run sixth-wicket stand.
Australia A 414-6 in 87.4 overs.
On the opening day (September 16) of the first unofficial Test in Lucknow, Ranji Trophy record-holder Harsh Dubey took three wickets to help India A claw back after Australia A had put up a huge opening stand. Read more here.
Harsh Dubey takes three wickets
The Ranji Trophy record-holder for the most wickets in a season was the pick of the bowlers
Stumps: Australia A end the day on 337-5
Liam Scott is unbeaten on 47, along with Josh Philippe 3*
Half an hour to go for the scheduled close
Harsh Dubey has picked up two wickets, with Brar and Khaleel taking a wicket each. Khaleel has been a tad expensive today, going at over five an over.
Connolly and Scott do the repair work
After a massive opening stand, Australia A slipped a bit in the post-tea session. At the moment, they've been stabilised again by Cooper Connolly and Liam Scott.
Century for Sam Konstas!
The Ashes hopeful has raced to three figures of 122 balls
Australia A 126-0 in 26 overs
Kellaway is looking set for a big score, while Konstas has crossed his fifty too
The opening stand is nearing a century
In seam-friendly conditions, Australia A openers have been piling on the runs.
Kellaway closing in on brisk fifty
He's been batting at a run-a-ball
Khaleel has been quite expensive so far
He's conceded 32 runs from his six overs
Ten overs in, Australia A start steadily
Australia A 31-0
There could be more rain later in the day
Currently, there's prediction for rainfall in the second session too, with Google Weather suggesting the chance of precipitation at 40 percent around 1pm. The forecast is grim for the next few days too.
Prasidh Krishna and Khaleel Ahmed sharing the new ball
The ever-exciting Sam Konstas is opening
No place for Nitish Kumar Reddy
The all-rounder had been preparing at the Centre of Excellence in the lead-up to the series
India A vs Australia A: Playing XIs
India A: Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Tanush Kotian, Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar
Australia A: Sam Konstas, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Oliver Peake, Cooper Connolly, Liam Scott, Fergus O’Neill, Xavier Bartlett, Cory Rocchiccioli, Todd Murphy.
Australia A opt to bat first
Match to begin at 12pm IST
