Christchurch: Dhruv Jurel completed a captain’s century and Akash Deep struck a valuable 68 as India A posted 346 on day two of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A at Hagley Oval on Sunday, only for the hosts to fight back through an unbroken 205-run partnership that left the match evenly poised at stumps.
India A resumed on 291 for 7 with Jurel on 99 overnight, and the skipper needed only a handful of deliveries to reach his hundred at the start of the day. It was his eighth first-class century, and a timely one: Jurel had walked in on day one with India A at 131 for 3 and rebuilt the innings after a collapse to 160 for 6. He fell for 105 off 171 balls, with 11 fours and three sixes, caught by Rhys Mariu off Brett Randell.
Akash Deep, batting at No. 9, ensured the tail wagged rather than folded. The fast bowler struck 68 off 116 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes, in a 75-run partnership with Jurel, and India A were eventually bowled out for 346 in 102.4 overs, adding 55 runs to their overnight total. Fraser Sheat finished as the pick of the New Zealand A attack with 4 for 63, while Devdutt Padikkal’s 80 on day one remained the second-highest score of the innings.
New Zealand A’s reply began in disastrous fashion. Mohammed Siraj removed captain Mariu for 4, caught behind by Jurel, and Mukesh Kumar struck twice in quick succession to dismiss Curtis Heaphy for 4 and Tim Robinson for 3, leaving the hosts reeling at 13 for 3 inside the first eight overs. At that point India A, with Siraj and Mukesh finding movement with the new ball, looked set to take a stranglehold on the match.
Matthew Boyle and Dean Foxcroft had other ideas. The pair batted through the rest of the day without being separated, adding an unbroken 205 runs for the fourth wicket to take New Zealand A to 218 for 3 at stumps, still trailing by 128 runs with seven wickets in hand. Boyle, unbeaten on 107 off 148 balls with 14 fours and a six, reached his century in the evening session, while Foxcroft, unbeaten on 80 off 180 balls with nine fours, played the anchor’s role to perfection. Between them they turned a collapse into a recovery, and a match that looked to be slipping away from the hosts into a genuine contest.
The context adds weight to both performances. This is the middle match of a three-match four-day series feeding into the senior two-Test series starting in Wellington on November 19, and Jurel’s hundred — his first outside Asia in first-class cricket — strengthens his case for a Test place. Day three resumes on Monday with New Zealand A looking to wipe out the deficit and India A hunting the breakthrough that would expose the lower order.
Read our day-one report here: https://t20star.com/jurels-unbeaten-99-rescues-india-a-after-collapse-as-visitors-reach-291-for-7-on-day-1-in-christchurch/
Read our India A vs New Zealand A series guide here: https://t20star.com/india-a-vs-new-zealand-a-four-day-series-schedule-squads-and-why-this-shadow-tour-matters-for-the-tests/
Brief scores: India A 346 (Dhruv Jurel 105, Devdutt Padikkal 80, Akash Deep 68; Fraser Sheat 4-63) vs New Zealand A 218/3 (Matthew Boyle 107*, Dean Foxcroft 80*).
