Rathod, Mulani help India A salvage thrilling draw

Yash Rathod and Shams Mulani played starring roles in a resolute rear-guard effort against Australia A, helping India A secure a 1-0 series win on Friday in Puducherry. The pair joined forces in the second session and looked impregnable for large swathes of the third session. Rathod, though, was trapped lbw on 80 with 6.4 overs left. He reviewed the decision, arguing it was too high, and watched in disbelief as ball tracking returned with an Umpire's Call. Mulani held firm alongside Nachiket Bhute for a bit, only to be trapped lbw by Liam Scott close to the end of day's play.

Bhute and Praful Hinge had to bat out the remaining three overs, and they did so, with Bhute fighting fire with fire to stave off the visitors. With India A having won the first unofficial Test, a draw was enough to seal a series victory.

India A's day began with similar resilience, with overnight batters Aayush Pandey and Tushar Deshpande keeping Australia A at bay for much of the opening hour. On the cusp of the drinks break, though, a Liam Scott delivery kept low and pinned Pandey in front of middle and leg.

Deshpande remained unflustered, and even got to his second First-Class fifty, with captain Devdutt Padikkal for company. The pair batted through the rest of the first session and at lunch, kept India A afloat and perhaps even contemplating an improbable run-chase.

The second session, however, is when things threatened to unravel. Padikkal was the first to depart as he wafted at a wide delivery and was caught-behind off Scott. Deshpande, having reached his half-century, was undone by a ball that stopped in the surface.

Kumar Kushagra, who was India A's batting star in the first game, could not offer much in terms of resistance, although it was not entirely his fault, with the ball that dismissed him staying so low, it almost rolled along the ground and hit the stumps.

Shaik Rasheed and Rathod then stood firm, with Rasheed intent on not going into a shell. He played a few sumptuous shots through the on side, and rattled along to 38. A misjudgement, though, caused his dismissal. He went back to a Nathan McSweeney length ball, and was unable to bring his bat down in time.

Rathod, who has played multiple clutch knocks for Vidarbha and averages more than 55 in First-Class cricket, was proactive too. He took a few risks and ensured the scoring did not come to a standstill. Rathod's footwork was also pristine for most parts. At times, he stepped out to get to the pitch of the ball. On other occasions, he used the depth of the crease. His experience of digging his team out of tricky situations also proved handy, even if he could not shepherd his team past the finish line.

Mulani had to endure similar disappointment. He was calm, stoic, and thwarted whatever Australia A threw at him for almost the entirety of his knock. But he, like Rathod, was trapped lbw by Scott late in the day.

There were positives for Australia A, despite being unable to bundle India A out. Scott was comfortably the pick of their bowling bunch, bagging five wickets and brandishing his all-round credentials. His high release point and stump-to-stump line caused the batters problems, especially on a pitch that was keeping low.

Corey Rocchiccioli and Todd Murphy were also tough to get away, with Murphy, at one point, going through nine overs without conceding a single boundary. The rest of the bowling attack kept chipping in, but it was not enough as India A gritted their way to a series-clinching stalemate.