Gurjapneet, Thakur, Sindhu star as India A avoid 3-0 sweep with 49-run win over Australia A

Puducherry, Oct 11 (IANS) A clinical effort from the bowling attack, led by Gurjapneet Singh’s three-for and two scalps each taken by Yash Thakur and Nishant Sindhu, helped India A avoid a 3-0 series sweep with a convincing 49-run victory over Australia A in the third and final 50-over game here at the CAP Siechem Ground on Sunday.

In a successful defence of 275, India A bundled out Australia A for 226 in 46.2 overs. The visitors suffered a sensational collapse as they lost seven wickets for just 49 runs after sitting comfortably at 177/3 at one stage.

Left-arm pacer Gurjapneet used his variations to great effect to finish with impressive figures of 3-42, while right-arm fast bowler Thakur (2-38) and left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Sindhu (2-41) delivered key strikes in the middle and lower overs to seal the win for India A.

Earlier, after being inserted to bat on a slowish pitch with variable bounce, India A were bowled out for 275 in 49.3 overs, largely anchored by a counter-attacking 85-run seventh-wicket stand between Suryansh Shedge (66) and Vipraj Nigam (40).

India A had gotten off to a flying start as openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh had an 83-run opening stand. However, Prabhsimran’s exit for 39 in the 11th over triggered a top-order wobble, as India A lost five wickets for 35 runs to slip to 118/5.

Alongside Shedge, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad attempted to steady the ship by hitting 33 off 57 balls. But Mitchell Owen removed the captain to leave India A reeling at 159/6. Vipraj then provided the much-needed impetus alongside a determined Shedge to lift the side to exactly 275.

Chasing 276, Australia A had an 82-run opening stand, led by Josh Philippe’s fluent half-century. But Nigam provided the breakthrough by dismissing Philippe, and Liam Scott fell in the very next over as India A put the brakes on the scoring rate. Though Nathan McSweeney (39) and Lachlan Shaw (31) added 58 runs for the third wicket, India A’s bowlers kept pressure at both ends.

Once the stand was broken, as Shaw fell to Anukul Roy, Gurjapneet, Thakur, and Sindhu ripped through the lower order, and aided by a timely run-out of Nikhil Chaudhary, India A managed to get a consolation win, as Australia A won the series 2-1.

Brief Scores: India A 275 in 47.3 overs (Suryansh Shedge 66, Priyansh Arya 49; Ben Dwarshuis 3-38, Will Sutherland 3-44) beat Australia A 226 in 46.2 overs (Josh Philippe 56, Nathan McSweeney 39; Gurjapneet Singh 3-56, Yash Thakur 2-35) by 49 runs.

–IANS

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