Yashasvi Jaiswal made an unbeaten 155 and Yash Rathod an unbeaten 100 as India A erased a 78-run deficit and finished on 282 for 2, a lead of 204, before the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Christchurch was drawn by agreement.
Christchurch, New Zealand: Yashasvi Jaiswal began the match with a duck and ended it as the man who rescued it. On the fourth and final day at Hagley Oval, Jaiswal batted alongside Yash Rathod, and by the time both sides agreed to end the match, India A had gone from trailing to comfortably ahead.
A shaky start to the final day
India A resumed on 32 without loss, still 46 behind after New Zealand A had built a first-innings lead of 78 on the third day. The morning did not go to plan. B Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for 11 and Devdutt Padikkal followed for nought, and a draw suddenly needed work.
Jaiswal and Rathod take control
Jaiswal and Rathod answered with an unbroken stand of 247 for the third wicket, enough on its own to wipe out the deficit. Jaiswal reached his century off 119 balls and went on to 155 from 162, hitting 15 fours and five sixes. The innings was his response to a lean tour: he had made 17 and 5 in the first unofficial Test and fell for a duck in the first innings here.
Rathod matched him with an unbeaten 100 off 122 balls. India A closed on 282 for 2 from 52.4 overs, 204 runs ahead, when both sides agreed to end the contest.
How the match was set up
The draw owed much to the first three days. India A made 346 in their first innings, with Dhruv Jurel scoring 105 off 171 balls, Padikkal 80, Akash Deep 68 and Sudharsan 41. New Zealand A replied with 424 on the back of Matthew Boyle’s 110 and Dean Foxcroft’s 93. Mukesh Kumar took 5 for 87 and Mohammed Siraj 4 for 118, with Siraj having joined this group as part of a squad switch announced on Friday. Fraser Sheat returned 4 for 63 and Brett Randell 2 for 66 for the hosts.
Result: Match drawn. New Zealand A 424 (Matthew Boyle 110, Dean Foxcroft 93; Mukesh Kumar 5/87, Mohammed Siraj 4/118) and India A 346 (Dhruv Jurel 105, Devdutt Padikkal 80, Akash Deep 68; Fraser Sheat 4/63) and 282/2 in 52.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 155*, Yash Rathod 100*), a lead of 204 when the draw was agreed.
