Raghvi Bist’s superb 93 helped India A recover on day two in Brisbane, piling the pressure on the hosts
Australia A’s middle-order will look to bat big on Saturday, following a mixed second day with bat and ball in their four-day game against India A.
Nicole Faltum (30no) and Sianna Ginger (24no) will resume on day three with Australia A 5-158, still 141 runs shy of India A’s first-innings total of 299.
Australia A would have hoped to bowl the tourists out for a far smaller total after reducing them to 5-95 on a rain-shortened opening day, but a resistance led by Raghvi Bist (93) and Joshitha VJ (51) helped India A recover to a position of strength.
India A then struck regular blows with the ball throughout the final session despite the fighting efforts of captain Tahlia Wilson (49), leaving the middle-order with plenty of work to do following the dismissals of Rachel Trenaman (21), Anika Learoyd (15), Maddy Darke (12) and Ella Hayward (0).
After rain washed out the majority of the opening day’s play at Allan Border Field, India A batters Bist and Radha Yadav resumed under sunny skies on Friday morning with the tourists 5-93.
Immediately they looked far more comfortable than they had in far trickier conditions the previous day, with Yadav scoring 33, while Bist’s hopes of a red-ball century were dashed when she was bowled by Maitlan Brown on 93 on the stroke of lunch.
Her brilliant innings, however, combined with solid contributions from the middle-to-lower order through the middle session, served to frustrate the Australia A attack.
No.9 Joshitha VJ found the boundary seven times in her 51, as she shared a 75-run 10th wicket stand with Titas Sadhu (23), and was ultimately the final wicket to fall as India A were bowled out for 299.
Brown and Georgia Prestwidge finished with three wickets apiece while fellow quick Ginger and the spinners shared the rest of the spoils.
Australia A v India A multi-format series
First T20: Australia A won by 13 runs
Second T20: Australia A won by 114 runs
Third T20: Australia A won by four runs
First one-dayer: India A won by three wickets
Second one-dayer: India A won by two wickets
Third one-dayer: Australia A won by nine wickets
Australia A four-day squad: Tahlia Wilson (c), Nicole Faltum (vc), Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Ella Hayward, Anika Learoyd, Maitlan Brown, Lilly Mills, Georgia Prestwidge, Rachel Trenaman, Courtney Webb
India A four-day squad: Radha Yadav (c), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat
Only four-day match: August 21-24, Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 9:30am AEST
All matches live on cricket.com.au and Kayo Sports.
