Day three of the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A ended with the hosts in a strong position. Here's a roundup of the day's play.
IND A vs AUS A, day three: Nathan McSweeney stranded on 85
The visitors had dominated proceedings across the first two days of the second unofficial Test at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, but suffered a late slide on the second evening, to 16-3 in their second innings.
Resuming today were captain Nathan McSweeney and Cooper Connolly, but it wasn't long before the latter had his stumps rattled by Mohammed Siraj, reducing Australia A to 17-4.
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Wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, pushed up a spot from No.7, then joined McSweeney and initiated a counter-punch. He struck five boundaries in his first 16 balls, characteristic of his approach through the series. He scored an unbeaten 123 off 87 in the first match, and 39 off 33 in the first innings here.
Philippe brought up a half-century off 46 balls, but departed two balls later, caught behind off left-arm spinner Manav Suthar. Four of his eight boundaries had come off the bowling of the youngster.
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McSweeney then reached a fifty off 98 balls, even as Jack Edwards and Will Sutherland were removed by Gurnoor Brar off consecutive deliveries. Todd Murphy could not repeat his first-innings heroics, as he was bowled for 12 and Australia A eventually folded for 185, setting the hosts 412 for victory.
McSweeney was unbeaten on 85, and Suthar took 3-50 to go with his five-wicket haul from the first innings. Brar took 3-42 in nine relatively expensive overs, and Yash Thakur, in as a concussion substitute for Prasidh Krishna, took two wickets.
2nd unofficial Test, India A vs Australia A
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KL Rahul retires hurt with unknown issue
Coming out in pursuit of the stiff target, India A openers N Jagadeesan and KL Rahul, both named in India's Test squad for next week's West Indies series, adopted an attacking approach. The pair put on 85 runs in 17 overs, before Murphy made the breakthrough by removing Jagadeesan for 36.
Rahul went on to register a half-century in the company of Sai Sudharsan, and continued to score freely. However, shortly before stumps, the opener spoke with the team physio on the pitch and walked off, retired hurt for 74 off 92 balls.
He was replaced at the crease by Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal, but Murphy bowled the left-hander for five. Suthar then arrived as the nightwatch to see out the day, with India A 169-2 in 41 overs. They still require 243 runs to win, and complete what would be the sixth-highest run chase in men's first-class cricket on Indian soil.
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