Australia A scent win after key wickets

After being skittled out for 135 for the first innings, the India A batsmen showed the technique to quell the Australia A attack in the second unofficial Test in Chennai, but the visitors are still well-placed to force a result and take the two-match series. Contrasting innings from Abhinav Mukund, who made 59, and Shreyas Iyer turned a first-innings deficit of 214 runs into a 53-run lead for India A but Australia A hit back with three wickets in the final session of the third day.

If Iyer was the hare with eight fours in his 66-ball 49, Abhinav was the tortoise, defending stoutly and weathering the new ball. His first scoring shot was a leg-glanced four off his 11th ball but he had to wait 73 deliveries for his next boundary: a belt over midwicket for six.The opener was also the common factor in fifty-plus stands for the second, third and fourth wickets. He added 71 runs for the fourth wicket with Iyer, before both batsmen were dismissed in the space of three balls.

Iyer, who began the post-tea session with a trio of dabs to third man, displayed assurance with his footwork, skipping forward to drive full balls and dropping back to deal with flatter ones, though the left-arm spinners generated a hint of extra bounce.

Abhinav brought up his half-century off 135 balls with a chip to mid-on. His 297-minute vigil came to a close when he popped Ashton Agar to short leg for 59, of which 32 had come through singles. Four balls later, Iyer was cleaned up by an arm-ball from Steve O'Keefe, with India A trailing by four runs. Once Iyer was dismissed, Naman Ojha showed more intent in the second innings, striking 30 off 44 balls but gave it away again, nicking behind to Usman Khawaja at slip off O'Keefe, who finished with figures of 28-7-83-3.

India A started their response shakily. The captain Cheteshwar Pujara struggled and jabbed at a few balls outside off. He was dropped on 10 at first slip off Andrew Fekete but added only one more run to his tally before a moment of hesitation left him stranded on 11, despite a dive.

Virat Kohli, who walked in at No. 3, did not take much time to get into his shot-making stride. He presented a high elbow and drove imperiously, sending the second ball to the cover boundary. The fifth ball he faced also met a similar fate.

O'Keefe was welcomed into the attack with a fine sweep. Agar, who was introduced seven minutes before lunch, did not have a warm welcome either, as Kohli swatted a loopy full toss to the deep-midwicket boundary.

Kohli then caressed an O'Keefe delivery inside-out over the covers for a six and flicked crisply as India A built their innings solidly. Medium-pacer Marcus Stoinis, though, applied the choke-hold with 33 successive dots, throwing Kohli out of his zone.

Kohli was on 42 when he lunged forward and nearly toppled over while poking the ball to short leg. The fielder, Cameron Bancroft, was swift to flip the ball back to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade for a run-out chance. The TV umpire examined the footage for about four minutes before ruling it in the batsman's favour.

Five balls later, Bancroft dropped Kohli at the same position. However, the reprieve did not cost Australia A too much as O'Keefe bowled Kohli for 45 off 94 balls.

Karun Nair then set the tone for India A, crashing O'Keefe for three fours in a row, and taking two successive boundaries off Agar. Nair had added 31 off 33 balls in a 52-run partnership with Abhinav before he fell to Gurinder Sandhu's off spin.

Earlier, Australia A added 20 runs to their overnight total of 329 before Pragyan Ojha wrapped up the innings, dismissing Fekete for 10. Australia A lost all 10 first-innings wickets to India A spinners.