 "KL Rahul")
KL Rahul’s form slump took a dramatic turn as he was bowled in bizarre fashion during India A's second innings against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (November 8). Attempting to leave a tossed-up delivery, Rahul misjudged its line, allowing the ball to ricochet off his pads and dislodge the stumps. His dismissal for 10 left India A reeling at 73/5, adding to his mounting struggles ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"Don't know what he was thinking!" Oops... that's an astonishing leave by KL Rahul #AUSAvINDA pic.twitter.com/e4uDPH1dzz
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 8, 2024
Top-order collapse fuels Australian dominance
The Indian top-order faltered yet again, with Abhimanyu Easwaran (17) and Sai Sudharsan (3) failing to provide stability. Australia A's disciplined pace attack, led by Nathan McAndrew (2/22) and Beau Webster (2/14), wreaked havoc, leaving India A clinging to a slender 11-run lead with five wickets down.
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What would you call this shot?! #AUSAvINDA pic.twitter.com/nsDLUCmuGy
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 8, 2024
Jurel and Reddy provide late resistance
Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (19 not out) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (9 not out) managed to stem the collapse, negotiating the final overs of the day without further damage. Their cautious approach ensured India A stayed in the fight, albeit on shaky ground.
Indian bowlers fight back with fiery spells
Earlier, India A's pacers shone brightly, with Prasidh Krishna’s 4/50 and Mukesh Kumar’s 3/41 helping dismiss Australia A for 223. Marcus Harris led Australia’s charge with a gritty 74, while Rocchiccioli’s late fireworks (35 off 28 balls) pushed the visitors to a valuable first-innings lead of 62 runs.
India A’s batting frailties exposed
In response, India A’s batters once again faltered. Easwaran’s misjudged shot and Padikkal’s early exit (1) highlighted their struggles against the swinging ball. With Rahul’s misstep compounding their misery, the side faces an uphill task to avoid a series sweep after losing the opening match by seven wickets.
Australia A vs India A 2nd unofficial Test full video high
Australia A vs India A 2nd unofficial Test full scorecards
| India A 2nd Innings | ||||||
| Batting | Dismissals | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Abhimanyu Easwaran | c Rocchiccioli b McAndrew | 17 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 54.83 |
| KL Rahul | b Rocchiccioli | 10 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 22.72 |
| Sai Sudharsan | c Bancroft b Webster | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 37.5 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) | lbw b McAndrew | 11 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 55 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | c McSweeney b Webster | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 5.26 |
| Dhruv Jurel † | not out | 19 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 40.42 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | not out | 9 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 47.36 |
| Extras | (lb 1, nb 2) | 3 | ||||
| Total | 31 Ov (RR: 2.35) | 73/5 | ||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | NB |
| Scott Boland | 9 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Nathan McAndrew | 8 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 2.75 | 0 |
| Beau Webster | 7 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Corey Rocchiccioli | 7 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 2.57 | 0 |
| Australia A 1st Innings | ||||||
| Batting | Dismissals | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes | Strike Rate |
| Nathan McSweeney (c) | c Rahul b Mukesh Kumar | 14 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 46.66 |
| Marcus Harris | c †Jurel b Prasidh Krishna | 74 | 138 | 5 | 0 | 53.62 |
| Cameron Bancroft | c Kotian b Ahmed | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 13.63 |
| Sam Konstas | lbw b Ahmed | 3 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 16.66 |
| Oliver Davies | c Mukesh Kumar b Prasidh Krishna | 13 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 65 |
| Beau Webster | c Rahul b Mukesh Kumar | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 31.25 |
| Jimmy Peirson † | c †Jurel b Prasidh Krishna | 30 | 70 | 5 | 0 | 42.85 |
| Nathan McAndrew | not out | 26 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 72.22 |
| Scott Boland | c Easwaran b Prasidh Krishna | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Rocchiccioli | c †Jurel b Mukesh Kumar | 35 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 125 |
| Michael Neser | absent hurt | - | - | - | - | - |
| Extras | (b 8, lb 6, nb 6) | 20 | ||||
| Total | 62.1 Ov (RR: 3.58) | 223 | ||||
| Bowling | Over | Maiden | Runs | Wickets | Economy | NB |
| Mukesh Kumar | 16.1 | 3 | 41 | 3 | 2.53 | 0 |
| Khaleel Ahmed | 15 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 3.73 | 5 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 16 | 6 | 50 | 4 | 3.12 | 0 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 7 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tanush Kotian | 8 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 4.25 | 1 |
| India A 1st Innings | ||||||
| Batting | Dismissals | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Abhimanyu Easwaran | c Rocchiccioli b Neser | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | c †Peirson b Boland | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100 |
| Sai Sudharsan | c Bancroft b Neser | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) | c Bancroft b Neser | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | c Rocchiccioli b Neser | 26 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 47.27 |
| Dhruv Jurel † | c Davies b McSweeney | 80 | 186 | 6 | 2 | 43.01 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | c †Peirson b Webster | 16 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 45.71 |
| Tanush Kotian | b Webster | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khaleel Ahmed | c McSweeney b Webster | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Prasidh Krishna | c Harris b Rocchiccioli | 14 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 37.83 |
| Mukesh Kumar | not out | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 35.71 |
| Extras | (b 4, nb 6, w 1) | 11 | ||||
| Total | 57.1 Ov (RR: 2.81) | 161 | ||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | NB |
| Michael Neser | 12.2 | 5 | 27 | 4 | 2.18 | 0 |
| Scott Boland | 15 | 0 | 51 | 1 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Nathan McAndrew | 11 | 5 | 34 | 0 | 3.09 | 0 |
| Corey Rocchiccioli | 7.5 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 2.68 | 0 |
| Beau Webster | 9 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 2.11 | 0 |
| Nathan McSweeney | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2.5 | 0 |
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