Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari scored for the first test next week with contrasting hundreds, as India completely dominated Australia A in the pink ball preparation match in Sydney on Saturday. Needing 19 runs to reach his century when Jack Wildermuth started the final on the second night, Pant hit him 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 to remain undefeated with 103 blisters from just 73 balls. In total, he hit nine fours and six six.
At the other end, Vihari fought his way to a nice 104-run hit with 194 balls. Young Shubman Gill is also up for grabs with a pick claim, with a graceful 65 of 78 balls and 10 timing limits.
In the last playing session, Pant’s aggressive approach paid dividends as he crushed Australia A bowlers in every corner of the Sydney Cricket Ground, the southpaw strongly defended the wicketkeeper job in Adelaide ahead of the test specialist Wriddhiman Saha.
To cite one example of his punching power, Pant swept one over the corner of the cow for a six, leaving Nic Maddinson to search for the ball between the rows of chairs at the SCG.
At the end of the game, India was strongly placed at 386 of four for an overall advantage of 472 runs, having led the home team by a negligible 108 in their opening innings on Friday.
In their first innings, India was out by 194, which would have been a lot less if it weren’t for Jasprit Bumrah’s first-class top fifty spearhead pace, but the visitors staged a strong comeback with both bat and bat. With the ball.
While Gill may have booked one of the early spots with his dazzling shots, Hanuma’s effort could force the Indian team to play an extra hitter in the series opener.
Coming at bat again early in the day’s play, India lost to Prithvi Shaw in the second over when the young right-hander drove the ball into the point of cover without any great foot movement. It was a bit of a soft dismissal.
If Shaw missed a chance to make a big score in good batting condition, his contemporary Gill caught him with both hands en route to his 49-ball half-century.
During his tenure in the middle, Gill played some elegant drives and looked confident as he passed behind, which appears to be his forte.
However, the 21-year-old was unfortunately saved from Michell Swepson. Swepson threw one faster and Gill, preparing to throw it, missed, prompting the pitcher to call for an lbw even as the ball headed for the first slip where Sean Abbott was clinging to it.
Television reruns were inconclusive and the absence of DRS and Snickometer from the practice game, a disappointed Gill had no choice but to walk back to the locker room as the referee’s decision could not be contested.
That ended a 104-run partnership for the second wicket between Gill and Agarwal, whom Vihari joined for another half-century bracket.
Thereafter, the duo of Vihari and skipper Ajinkya Rahane participated in a 78-run partnership for the fourth gate while the Australian players toiled through the gates.
There was a brief rain interruption after Pant entered the Rahane wicket fall. But he immediately played his shots to further unsettle the Australian bowlers.
Promoted
Even though Vihari showed great composure and patience in picking up his runs, Pant felt quite comfortable clearing the fence, reaching his fifties with a square cut in just 43 balls.
Pant continued in the same vein until the end of the day’s game and launched into his century with a flurry of greatest hits. While Vihari, in total, hit 13 limits.
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