India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s batting struggles continued in the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 31. The 24-year-old was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first over, extending his run of low scores on the ongoing tour.
The left-hander was trapped lbw by seamer Fraser Sheat after New Zealand A elected to bowl first. Jaiswal has failed in three consecutive innings on the tour, raising concerns ahead of the two-match Test series against New Zealand, which begins at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 19.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Red-Ball Slump Deepens Ahead of New Zealand Tests
Yashasvi Jaiswal has not scored a half-century in red-ball cricket since August. He recorded scores of 17 and 5 in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A last week. In the second innings, a Zak Gibson bouncer brushed his gloves before he was caught at slip.
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Earlier, Jaiswal scored a 13-ball duck against Chandigarh in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy season opener earlier this month. Since the Sri Lanka tour, he has recorded four ducks in his last nine innings, including a second-innings duck in the first Test in Galle.
He managed only 77 runs across three innings in the drawn series and also registered a duck in the practice match against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI.
Jaiswal was part of India’s ODI squad for the West Indies series but did not feature in any of the three matches. He has been left out of the squad for the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand, which begins in Auckland on November 4.
Devdutt Padikkal Scores 80 as India A Lose Five Wickets
India A found some stability through Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s early dismissal. The pair added 91 runs for the second wicket before Sudharsan fell for 41. The left-hander chased a delivery outside off stump from Jarrod McKay and edged it behind to the wicketkeeper.
Padikkal continued his impressive run after scoring 199 in the second innings of the first unofficial Test in Lincoln. Batting at No. 3 this time, the Karnataka batter scored 80 off 140 balls, including 12 boundaries.
He looked set for another substantial score before chopping a delivery that was not wide enough onto his stumps while attempting a cut. Yash Rathod, who top-scored for India A in the first unofficial Test, managed only 13 off 22 balls before falling while attempting an expansive shot outside off stump.
Smaran Ravichandran then departed for a golden duck, trapped lbw by an incoming delivery. The dismissals left India A struggling at 137/5 after the top order failed to build on Padikkal and Sudharsan’s partnership.
Fraser Sheat Takes Three Wickets as Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar Resist
New Zealand A made the most of the movement on offer in Christchurch. Fraser Sheat led the attack with three wickets, including Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal in the first over. Sudharsan, Rathod and Padikkal also fell while attempting shots outside their off-stump lines.
With wickets falling regularly, India A captain Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar focused on rebuilding the innings. The pair adopted a cautious approach against the New Zealand A seamers and added 23 runs from 87 deliveries, avoiding unnecessary risks after the visitors slipped to 137/5.
India A made three changes to their playing XI for the second unofficial Test, bringing in Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar and Mukesh Kumar. KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj were unavailable for selection because of their involvement in the upcoming ODI series.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
