In the first unofficial ODI, which took place in Puducherry on October 6, Nathan McSweeney’s 123 helped Australia A beat India A by 125 runs. After scoring 274 runs in 48.2 overs, Australia A’s bowlers smashed the home team for 149 runs in 31.4 overs, ending the game well before the last ten overs.
The Australian innings was built around McSweeney‘s hit. At a crucial point, he worked with captain Will Sutherland to rebuild the game and get Australia A to a score that could compete. Sutherland made 77 runs, and Suryansh Shedge bowled 4-40, making him the best bowler for India A.
During the chase, Mahli Beardman was great with the ball. He finished with 4/23 and smashed the India A batting order. The hosts’ top scorer was Rajat Patidar with 53, but after he left after scoring fifty, the lower order didn’t put up much of a fight. India A didn’t make it to the 275-run goal because they were bowled out in the 32nd over.
What helped Australia A get back on track after a rough start?
Australian A’s first innings got off to a fast start. In the very first over, Mitchell Owen hit a six and a four. In the second over, Sam Konstas hit two boundaries. India A, on the other hand, fire back hard. Owen’s pull was timed wrong, and he was caught for 10. A short-pitched ball also took out Konstas, giving Yash Thakur his second wicket. Three balls later, Arshad Khan got rid of Josh Philippe, leaving Australia A at 30/3 after five overs.
A good stand between Liam Scott and McSweeney kept the game steady until Nishant Sindhu bowled Scott out. After Nikhil Chaudhary left after three overs, Australia A was in a lot of trouble as they already lost five wickets. After McSweeney and Sutherland joined the game, they decided to bat deep instead of trying to speed things up.
After a break, McSweeney used the time to turn fifty, and Sutherland joined him.
To get his own fifty, Sutherland changed gears and hit Anukul Roy over the fence. He then went after the same bowler with three straight sixes in the next over. In the end, McSweeney ended with a hundred, which made sure that Australia A had a score that was worth defending.
In what way did India A’s chase go?
From the start, India A’s answer fell apart. A Beardman delivery was handled by Sai Sudharsan to the goalkeeper for 1. Beardman then got rid of both Devdutt Padikkal and Prabhsimran Singh in the same over, leaving India A at 24/3 and in big trouble right away.
Gaikwad briefly fought back, and Patidar kept the scoreboard going with fours, but Spencer Johnson came back for a second time and got rid of Gaikwad, who was India A’s most stable batter at that point. Before getting caught in the deep, Sindhu set some limits, and after that, there was no real partnership.
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After Patidar reached fifty, he was out, and Beardman finished off his four-wicket haul by getting Shedge out. India A gave up in the 32nd over for 149 runs because their lower order couldn’t help them. This gave Australia A a comfortable 125-run win in the first game of the series.
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