Australia A has tightened its grip on the second unofficial Test, handing India A a challenging target of 365 runs to secure victory. The visitors ended the third day in a commanding position, having claimed the early breakthrough of opener Sai Sudharsan during the 13 overs bowled before stumps. With the chase just underway, India A faces an uphill task on the final day, needing a further 337 runs with nine wickets in hand. India A now need 337 runs on the final day with 9 wickets in hand.
India A’s troubles began earlier in the day when the team resumed at 122/5. Despite a promising fightback through a key partnership, the hosts lost set batters Tanush Kotian and Shaikh Rasheed in quick succession. These dismissals proved costly, leading to an eventual collapse as India A was bundled out for 167, trailing by 191 runs from the first innings. Those two wickets hurt India A big time as they were bundled out for just 167.
Maintaining their momentum, Australia A extended their advantage by putting on over 50 runs for the opening wicket in their second essay. While the hosts managed to take some wickets—including the dismissal of captain Peter Handscomb for a duck—Jason Sangha anchored the innings with an unbeaten 44. Australia A eventually declared at 173/4 after 49 overs.
The day concluded with a high-stakes closing period where Todd Murphy struck for Australia, bowling Sudharsan for 12. Nightwatchman Tushar Deshpande and Aayush Pandey successfully navigated the remaining 18 deliveries to ensure no further damage before play ended. Brief scores: India A 167 and 28/1 (Murphy 1-1) trail Australia A 358 and 173/4 declared (Sangha 44*, Konstas 40; Kotian 2-55) by 337 runs.
