Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney wins toss, opts to bat against India A in second unofficial ODI

Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney won the toss and elected to bat against India A in the second unofficial one-day international, handing his in-form side first use of the pitch as they chase a 2-0 seal of the three-match series.

India A head into the contest with their backs against the wall. Australia A lead the series 1-0 after winning the opening match by 125 runs, and the hosts must win this game to level the contest — while Australia A will aim to wrap the series up with a victory and a game to spare.

Patidar's lone hand in a heavy opening defeat

India A's batting is their most glaring concern. In the series opener in Puducherry, Australia A recovered from a precarious 87 for 5 to post 274, built around captain Nathan McSweeney's composed 123 and Will Sutherland's 77, according to Times of India's match report published on October 9.

Mahli Beardman then made the chase a non-contest, taking four wickets as India A were bowled out for just 149 in 31.4 overs. Rajat Patidar's 53 stood out only because so little else did.

"Rajat Patidar top-scored for India A with 53 in the first match, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to make a significant contribution."

— Times of India's live coverage of the series

Batting first is the template Australia A trust

McSweeney's call at the toss mirrors the formula that worked so effectively in the first ODI: pile up runs around the captain's bat, then let Beardman's four-for strangle the reply. India A, for their part, need contributions throughout the order — in the opener, nothing beyond Patidar's 53 took the fight to Australia A.

The stakes on Friday's equation are simple: victory for Australia A would seal the series 2-0 with one match still to play, while a win for India A would level the series at 1-1 and send it to a decider.