Dhruva Jurel’s unbeaten 99 saved India A from a dramatic collapse against New Zealand A

Dhruv Jurel led India’s fightback with a determined unbeaten 99 after the visitors suffered a dramatic collapse on the opening day of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Christchurch.Jurel, who came into the match after scores of 1 and 2 in the first unofficial Test last week, responded with a crucial knock that helped India A recover from a precarious position to end the day with a fighting total.India A struggled in the afternoon after losing three wickets for just six runs in six deliveries. At 160 for 6, with much of the game still remaining, Jurel took over and first put on a 62-run stand for the seventh wicket with Manav Suthar.After Suthar departed for 22, Jurel continued to hold the innings together and added an unbeaten 69 runs with Akash Deep. He reached 90 in the 79th over but settled for an unbeaten 99 as he saw the last nine overs to stumps.The guests had a balanced start despite the challenging batting conditions. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck just four deliveries into the day, trapped lbw by Fraser Sheat, whose late movement troubled the Indian batsmen throughout the innings.Sai Sudharsan, promoted to open in the absence of KL Rahul, and Devdutt Padikkal then leveled the innings. The pair negotiated the rest of the opening session, with Sai Sudharsan surviving a couple of tight calls against Sheat before settling into his innings.Padikkal, who scored 199 in the opening game, initially struggled to get going but gradually found his rhythm with a series of smooth runs. He also adjusted his position in the crease to counter the movement while punishing shorter deliveries. Dropping behind a point brought up his half-century in the second session.Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, looked set to make a substantial contribution before pouncing on a delivery from Jarrod McKay shortly after lunch. His recall opened the door for New Zealand A to take control.Sheat led the charge as India A lost three more wickets in quick succession. Padikkal slashed one back onto his stumps, R Smaran, playing his first match on the tour, was caught lbw first ball after misjudging the movement, while Washington Sundar was bowled by a full delivery.When the innings threatened to fall apart, Jurel had to deal with the movement and bounce offered by the Christchurch surface. As seamers began to tire and stray to his pads, he found opportunities to score and gradually changed the pace.New Zealand A eventually turned to left-arm Jayden Lennox, who was introduced to test Jurel in a right-handed-dominated batting line-up. However, the wicket-keeper batsman used his legs and crease effectively, mixing strokes with cuts and taps to keep the scoreboard moving.Suthar provided valuable support before falling for 22 trying to bounce Lennox. Jurel then took charge of the lower order and ensured that India A avoided a repeat of their batting struggles in the first innings of the Lincoln match.His unbeaten 99 gave the visitors some measure of stability heading into the second day, with Akash Deep still alongside him at the crease.India A 291 for 7 (Jurel 99*, Padikkal 80, sheet 4-50) Vs. New Zealand A