India A Bowled Out for 206 as Australia A Seal Unofficial ODI Series 2-0
Australia A take unassailable 2-0 lead
Australia A defeated India A by 69 runs in the second unofficial one-day match on Friday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with a game to spare. Chasing 276, the hosts were bowled out for 206 in 45.2 overs, undone by another top-order collapse and a disciplined bowling effort led by pacer Spencer Johnson.
The defeat will be particularly disappointing for India A, whose top order once again failed collectively. Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad all fell inside the Powerplay, leaving the hosts reeling at 30 for three in the ninth over while chasing a target that was well within reach.
Konstas and Philippe lay the foundation
Opting to bat after winning the toss, Australia A got off to a flying start courtesy of Mitchell Owen, who took 17 runs off the first over by Arshad Khan and raced to 25 off just 12 balls before holing out off Yash Thakur's bowling.
Sam Konstas and Josh Philippe then settled the innings, building steadily through the middle overs and taking the score past 100 before accelerating. The pair added 101 runs for the second wicket, the backbone of the Australian total.
Philippe, who had fallen cheaply in the opening match, made amends with a well-paced 58 off 58 balls. The 29-year-old looked fluent against the spinners, creaming Nishant Sindhu for consecutive boundaries, including a delightful inside-out shot through extra-cover, and brought up his half-century off 53 deliveries by pulling Thakur for four. He eventually pulled one straight to mid-wicket to end the stand.
Konstas played the more measured knock, reaching his fifty off 69 balls after an early six off Arshad Khan, before top-edging a pull to the keeper to fall for 67 off 88 deliveries. Nathan McSweeney made a watchful 32 before he was run out in a mix-up, while Lachlan Shaw's 25 ended when he skied one against Vipraj Nigam to deep mid-wicket.
From being 207 for three in the 37th over and looking set for a total beyond 300, Australia A lost wickets steadily and were eventually all out for 275 in 49.5 overs. Arshad, finding reverse swing, finished with three wickets for 56 runs, while Thakur used his cutters well for figures of two for 46.
Top-order collapse leaves Patidar with too much to do
India A's chase unravelled almost immediately. Padikkal holed out to third man for one, Gaikwad managed just 12 after falling to a superb take by Johnson in the same area, and Sudharsan was bounced out by a short ball from Riley Meredith for 13.
With an inexperienced line-up following, the responsibility fell on Rajat Patidar to keep the chase alive. The middle-order batter responded with a determined 67 off 81 balls — his second fifty of the series — but found little sustained support from his partners. He first added 29 runs off 56 balls and then 46 with Nishant Sindhu for the fifth wicket, the biggest partnership of India A's innings.
Australia A, however, continued to strike at key moments. Johnson proved particularly effective, removing Padikkal, Suryansh Shedge and, crucially, Patidar, who was caught at deep mid-wicket off another short ball. Once Patidar departed, India A's hopes of mounting a comeback faded.
From 134 for six, India A slipped away quickly, with Shedge, Nigam and Arshad all falling cheaply despite some late hitting from Nigam. Anukul Roy fought on at the other end for an unbeaten 34, striking two fours and two sixes, but his effort came too late to change the outcome. The last-wicket stand broke when Thakur was caught behind off Owen in the 46th over.
Brief scores
Australia A 275 all out in 49.5 overs (Sam Konstas 67, Josh Philippe 58; Arshad Khan 3/56, Yash Thakur 2/46) beat India A 206 all out in 45.2 overs (Rajat Patidar 67, Anukul Roy 34 not out; Spencer Johnson 3/35, Riley Meredith 2/31) by 69 runs.
The 69-run victory handed Australia A the series with one match still to play, while India A will need a much-improved showing from their top order to avoid a clean sweep.