Jagadeesan Steadies India A with Unbeaten Half-Century

Lucknow, Sep 17 (PTI)—On the second day of the first unofficial Test at Lucknow, Narayan Jagadeesan’s composed half-century propelled India A to reach 116 for one, trailing Australia A by 416 runs, as inclement weather forced an early end to the day’s play after just 55 overs.

Jagadeesan remained unbeaten on 50, striking five fours and a six in his 95-ball innings, with B Sai Sudharsan accompanying him on 20 not out. Their partnership steadied the innings following the dismissal of opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who shared an 88-run opening stand with Jagadeesan before being bowled by Liam Scott for a fluent 44 off 58 balls.

Earlier, Australia A set a formidable first-innings total of 532 for six declared. Josh Philippe spearheaded their innings with a blistering century, scoring an unbeaten 123 off just 87 balls with four sixes and 18 boundaries. He shared substantial partnerships, including an 81-run stand for the sixth wicket with Liam Scott and an unbeaten 118-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Xavier Bartlett, who contributed a rapid 39 from 24 balls.

The visitors resumed their innings on 337 for five, but overnight centurion Scott fell short of his century, departing for 81 after being caught off the bowling of Gurnoor Brar. Harsh Dubey emerged as the most successful bowler for India A, claiming three for 141, while Brar took two for 87. Prasidh Krishna went wicketless, conceding 86 runs in his 16 overs.

On the opening day, Sam Konstas led the early charge for Australia A with a brisk century, scoring 104 from 144 balls, with vital contributions from Campbell Kellaway (88) and Cooper Connolly (70), helping Australia A build a substantial first innings lead.

Brief scores: Australia A 532/6 decl. in 98 overs (Sam Konstas 109, Campbell Kellaway 88, Cooper Connolly 70, Liam Scott 81, Josh Philippe 123 not out; Harsh Dubey 3/141, Gurnoor Brar 2/86); India A 116/1 in 30 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 44, N Jagadeesan 50 not out; Liam Scott 1/9), lead by 416 runs.

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