Travis Head’s Australia A start campaign with big defeat
The series, where a lot is at stake for a number of players from all the participating teams, failed to get going because of the rains in Andhra Pradesh, and finally got underway after four washed-out games that left all the players frustrated.
When the action began, with India A playing Australia A in Bengaluru and India B taking on South Africa A in Alur, near Bengaluru, the Indians were the ones calling all the shots.
India A v Australia AFor Travis Head’s travellers, the series is a vitally important one, as spots on the team for the tour of the United Arab Emirates to take on Pakistan later this year could be filled based on performances on these matches.
To that end, it was a far from convincing performance from the Australians, as they struggled to get going and rolled over for just 151 in 31.4 overs after opting to bat.
Head’s 28 in 38 balls and Ashton Agar’s 40-ball 34 from No.7 were the only knocks of substance for Australia as both the Indian pacers and spinners did well.
Mohammed Siraj, the right-arm medium pacer, struck early to remove D’Arcy Short, came back to account for Alex Carey in the middle, and struck twice at the end to finish with 4/68, while off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham scalped Head, Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw, Australia internationals all of them, on his way to 3/31.
The Indians’ reply did stutter early as Jhye Richardson (3/27) reduced them to 21/3 with the wickets of Ravikumar Samarth, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, but with Ambati Rayudu hitting 62* in 107 balls and Krunal Pandya chipping in with a quick 49, the target was overhauled in 38.3 overs.
“I thought it was quite a good wicket, probably a little bit tacky than what we expected. The ball spun a lot, it was quite slow with the fast bowlers early on, but it got slower as the game went on,” said Head after the game.
“I think, leading in we would have expected a lot better performance the way we have been training and preparing. That’s OK. These things happen. Move forward and be positive for the next game.”
The Australians’ travails against quality spin has always been a matter of debate. With international action set to take place on spin-friendly tracks in the UAE, how they go in India will be a matter of interest, and the first sighter wasn’t encouraging.
“I think the guys had really good plans. Matt, for example, has been sweeping the ball beautifully for a period of time. Alex Carey plays the sweep shot exceptionally well. Yes, they got out today, but I expect them and back them 100 per cent to go out there next game and execute well,” said Head.
“I’ve watched them over a period. I think everyone in that side is backing themselves 100 per cent with their game plan. There are some extremely experienced players, guys who have done well here. So we can’t fault the preps.”
India B v South Africa ASouth Africa A also started with a defeat, but put in a decent performance on the whole.
Right-arm pacer M Prasidh Krishna (4/49) and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (3/42) were the stars of the Indian bowling attack as the visitors were bowled out in 47.3 overs for 231. But the runs from Farhaan Behardien (43) and Senuran Muthusamy (55) in the middle period and Malusi Siboto (26) and Dane Paterson (25) would have made the South Africans happy.
Paterson came back after the break to put the Indians in a spot of bother with the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Deepak Hooda too, leaving the scoreboard reading 22/2, but Shubman Gill was solid at the top with a 46-ball 42, and Manish Pandey’s 105-ball 95* made sure the Indians were well ahead when rain forced a revision of the target. After 40.3 overs, the Indians had motored to 214/5, and the target was only 185.
