Five ducks, 113 all out! India A batsmen were put through a horror show against New Zealand A in the first unofficial Test

KL Rahul was dismissed for a duck after facing eight balls and edged Fraser Sheat behind the stumps. (Image credit: X) India A’s star-studded batting line-up suffered a stunning collapse against New Zealand A, managing just 113 runs in the first innings of the opening unofficial Test at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Saturday.On a grass pitch offering assistance to fast bowlers, the Dhruv Jurel-led side had no answer to a disciplined New Zealand A attack. Five Indian batsmen failed to open their accounts as the top order struggled to build partnerships.KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel were expected to make a strong start but the experienced group failed to deliver. Rahul was dismissed for a duck after facing eight balls and pushed Fraser Sheat behind the stumps. Jaiswal managed just 17 off 45 balls before Zak Gibson ended his stay.

The top order cannot rise to the challenge

The dismissal of Rahul and Jaiswal did not end India A’s problems. Padikkal scored 32 off 77 balls but struggled to turn his start into a substantial innings. His slow knock didn’t lift the score much as wickets kept falling at the other end.Sudharsan, another batsman expected to make an impact, departed for a duck after facing 13 deliveries. Skipper and keeper Jurel managed just one run before falling to Simon Keene.Washington Sundar also failed to open his account, leaving India A reeling at 58/6. The visitors’ inability to build a partnership or counter the movement generated by New Zealand A’s pacers made for a deeply disappointing batting performance.

Simon Keene tears in India A

Keene was an outstanding bowler and finished with five wickets for 24 runs in 11.3 overs. Gibson took three wickets for 29 runs, while Sheat and Kristian Clarke took one wicket each.India A lost their last five wickets for just 55 runs.

The Lone Warrior Yash Rathod

Amidst the collapse, Yash Rathod was the only batsman who looked like he could attack the opposition. He remained unbeaten on 44 off 49 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes.As the partners continued to leave, Rathod refused to let the shift go quietly. He scored most of the runs in partnership with Mukesh Choudhary for the last wicket to help India A cross the 100-run mark.However, Choudhary did not contribute with the bat before becoming Keene’s fifth victim. Rathod’s late counter-attack could not cover up the failures that left India A in such a precarious position.India A’s total of 113 leaves their bowlers with a tough task. With the pitch continuing to offer help to the pacers, they will need early wickets to prevent New Zealand A from gaining firm control of the match.