Josh Philippe’s Dominance Steers Australia A Ahead in 1st Unofficial Test Against India A

N. Jagadeesan and Abhimanyu Easwaran provided a solid foundation for India-A’s response before rain interrupted play, leading to an early conclusion of the second day of the first unofficial Test against Australia-A at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.

By the end of the day, India-A had reached 116 for one, responding to Australia-A’s formidable 532 for six declared. Jagadeesan remained unbeaten on 50 from 95 balls, partnered by his Tamil Nadu teammate B. Sai Sudharsan, as both maintained steadiness at the crease until rain stopped play just before the Tea break. After approximately 90 minutes of light rain, play for the day was ceased.

India’s innings started on a promising note with Easwaran setting the pace despite a brief scare due to a direct hit referred to the third umpire, who ultimately declared him safe. He quickly found his rhythm, rotating the strike efficiently and finding boundaries on both sides with ease. Jagadeesan matched him by playing elegantly, starting with a crisp on-drive followed by a straight four down the ground. They shared an 88-run opening partnership, with a scoring rate of over four runs per over.

Easwaran’s innings concluded at 44 when he chopped a delivery from Liam Scott onto his stumps. Jagadeesan continued alongside Sai Sudharsan, advancing the scoreboard with sharp singles and capitalizing on stray deliveries. Jagadeesan reached a calm half-century before rain brought the day’s play to a halt.

Earlier, Australia’s batsmen strengthened their position with a dominant performance. Starting at 337 for five, they added 195 runs in just 25 overs, highlighted by Josh Phillipe’s sensational century and Xavier Bartlett’s late heroics.

Phillipe, who was given a lifeline at 26 after being dropped by Jagadeesan—serving as wicketkeeper in place of Dhruv Jurel—seized the opportunity. He launched into a counterattack, reaching his fifty in just 55 balls, and later dismantled the spinners. Harsh Dubey’s over cost 19 runs, and Tanush Kotian’s following over was hammered for 6, 4, 4, all directed from midwicket to long-on. Phillipe completed his hundred off just 80 deliveries, showcasing proactive aggression and clean hitting.

Bartlett supported Phillipe, albeit living on the edge after a top edge was missed by Khaleel Ahmed at fine leg. Bartlett scored 39 from 24 balls, featuring two commanding pulls off Gurnoor Brar and a powerful slog into the vacant midwicket stands against Krishna, together adding 118 from just 62 deliveries for the sixth wicket before declaring.

India’s only bowling success came when Scott, who resumed at 47, was dismissed for 81 after miscuing a lofted drive to Shreyas Iyer at mid-off, earning Brar a wicket. Nevertheless, the bowlers continued to toil on a flat pitch, with even the second new ball facilitating Australia’s fluent batting.

Published on Sep 17, 2025