Chennai: Practice match between India-A and Australia ended up in a draw but it left Aussies a lot to think about their poor approach in playing spin bowling. The visitors were bundled out for 235 runs in their first innings on the third and last day of the practice match. For India-A, Rakesh Dhurv and Jalaj Saxena were the bowling stars who ended up the Australia’s innings with five and four wickets respectively.
India-A skipper Gautam Gambhir enforced follow-on with the lead of 216 runs. The Australian batsmen played better in their second innings and ended up making 195 for three at the Guru Nanak College ground. Shane Watson and Ed Cowan did well to get the 100 run opening partnership for the visitors.
The Aussies are surely on a back-foot going into the Test series starting from February 22 in Chennai after below ordinary performance, especially against the spinners. They didn’t learn any lessons from their last match against Board President's XI, where Parveez Rassol picked up seven wickets. In two successive matches, their batsmen failed to reach a 250 mark and this is an alarming sign for Aussie skipper Michael Clarke who has not played any of the practice match.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Aussies started the day at 131 for four and the overnight batsmen Matthew Wade (44) and Moises Henriques (33) took the score to 176 with a 49-run fifth wicket stand. Henriques was the active one between two and hit two fours and three sixes in his 41-ball knock before he padded an arm ball from the left-arm spinner Dhruv. For 31-year-old Dhurv, who is a veteran of 75 first-class matches, this performance will certainly be the most memorable one of his career.
While Wade was showing much-needed composure during his 103-ball stay, hitting four boundaries and two sixes, none of the other batsmen showed much application and failed to stay at the crease to ease out the situation for visitors. Australia lost their last six wickets in only 26.3 overs.
Later in the second innings, Shane Watson scored the second half-century of the match by scoring 60 off only 63 balls with nine fours and a six. Along with Watson, opening partner Ed Cowan who scored 53 off 81 balls with nine fours and a six, added 104 runs for the opening stand.
The match was called off after 55 overs with Usman Khawaja batting on 30 in company of Wade who had scored 19.The Australian side would not be very satisfied with their show in the two warm-up games as their batsmen have been found wanting against the unknown spinners.
The only positive that Australians can draw from this practice match is the form of their opening batsmen. Shane Watson and Ed Cowan looked very good in both the innings and this is what Indian pace-man should look out for in the first Test match against Aussies that’s going to start from February 22.
By Indian Sports News Network