The first unofficial Test between New Zealand A and India A went down to the final session, and eventually, the hosts were able to walk away with a draw on Tuesday, all thanks to bad light and the opening batter Curtis Heaphy's gritty 90-run unbeaten knock.
With the ball, Auqib Nabi (3 wickets in the second innings) was quite something in the second innings as he exploited the pitch well. The pacer from Baramulla landed the ball in the right areas, and the New Zealand A top order were all at sea against him.
Nabi is not part of the Test squad for the two matches against New Zealand, but this performance might just make the management rethink their strategy. Ahead of the third T20I against New Zealand, bowling coach Morne Morkel had hinted towards asking some bowlers to stay back.
India A, led by Dhruv Jurel, gave a good account of themselves in the series opener, especially after being bundled out for 113 in the first innings. Devdutt Padikkal was the standout batter in the game, scoring 199 in the second innings, helping India set a target in excess of 300. If the exploits with the bat weren't enough, he took two wickets too in the final innings.
The rub of the green went against Padikkal as the umpire incorrectly adjudged him out on Day 3, but his run of scores away from home will please him greatly.
How did the play unfold on Day 4?
{{/usCountry}}The rub of the green went against Padikkal as the umpire incorrectly adjudged him out on Day 3, but his run of scores away from home will please him greatly.
How did the play unfold on Day 4?
{{/usCountry}}Contrary to expectations, India A didn't declare overnight, and Washington Sundar and Akash Deep came out to bat. New Zealand A didn't take much time to take the remaining two wickets. All it took was 25 deliveries for the hosts to dismiss Sundar (52) and Mukesh Choudhary (2). India A were dismissed for 516, setting New Zealand A a target of 313 runs.
Auqib then provided the best possible start to India as he dismissed Rhys Mariu (2), Tim Robinson (0) and Matthew Boyle (4) in quick succession, and the visitors were cock-a-hoop in the first session on the final day.
Curtis Heaphy and Dean Foxcroft then got together at the crease, lending the much-needed solidarity. The duo put on 78 runs for the fourth wicket, but as soon as New Zealand A started to get comfortable, Mukesh Choudhary got the wicket of Foxcroft (42), reducing New Zealand to 91/4 with still a lot of time left in the game.
From there on, India A continued to take wickets at regular intervals as Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar made their presence felt with the ball in hand, taking one wicket each. However, the biggest surprise was Padikkal, who too returned with two wickets – Fraser Sheat (11) and Zak Gibson (0).
New Zealand A were left reeling at 170/9 with Heaphy leading the team's hopes of eking out a draw. Jayden Lennox was the last batter to join the Kiwi opener in the middle, and the duo frustrated the Indians. Eventually, the bad light came into the picture, and the umpires took the players off with 18 overs still left in the day.
With the clock ticking, there wasn't enough time to get back on the field, and the match ended in a draw.
Brief Scores: India A 113 (Y Rathod 44; S Keene 5/24) and 516 (D Padikkal 199; Z Gibson 3/80); New Zealand A 317 (R Mariu 76; A Kamboj 3/52) and 187/9 (C Heaphy 90; A Nabi 3/28)
Result: Draw