Vishakhapatnam: Manprit Juneja and Vasudevan Jagadeesh added 78 runs for the third wicket to steer India A out of trouble after they had lost two quick wickets for just 16 runs against New Zealand A here on Tuesday. India A still have a daunting task in front of them as they are trailing by 343 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Earlier, Doug Bracewell and Ish Sodhi struck their respective half-centuries on the second day of the final unofficial Test that is being played at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium here.
Bracewell contributed 96 runs whereas Sodhi scored 57 runs and took New Zealand to a very good score of 437 in 121.1 overs that they batted. They knitted a partnership of 162 runs, which gave the visitors an edge over India A after the end of the second day's play.
This pair made the most of their chances of scoring the runs as Indian bowlers failed to dismiss them in the early stages of the day. They made sure that the Kiwis don’t have to bat one more time in this Test and added 137 runs to the overnight score of 8/300.
Abhishek Nayar got the much needed breakthrough when he knocked over the middle stump of Bracewell who fell just four runs short of his century in the first innings. This innings of 96 runs which lasted 132 balls, was studded with 11 fours and a six, has changed the whole complexion of the match.
Dhawal Kulkarni claimed his third wicket of the match as he struck in the very next over and got rid of Sodhi. Sodhi was looking to hold the innings together but before he could do much, his innings of 57 runs off 142-ball came to an end. He struck three boundaries during his stay on the crease.
India had a rough start as they lost the opener in Unmukt Chand in the fifth over of their first innings. Chand departed after scoring a boundary and was dismissed by Mark Gillespie. New Zealand gave another blow when they bagged the wicket of Vijay Zol, who was phenomenal in last match against the visitors.
Zol was undone by Bracewell and he departed after scoring just two runs off22 balls that he faced.
Brief Scores-
India A 2/94 (Manprit Juneja 43*, VA Jagadeesh 40*, Doug Bracewell 1/23, Mark Gillespie 1/11)
New Zealand A 10/ 437 ( Corey Anderson 100, Anton Devcich 115, Doug Bracewell 96 , Ish Sodhi 57, Dhawal Kulkarni 3/53 , Jalaj Saxena 2/101)
