Published: Aug 17, 2015, 07:31 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 17, 2015, 12:33 PM (IST)
India A finished the limited-overs triangular tournament, with South Africa A as the third team, on a high after defeat in the ‘Test’ series against Australia A. They should ideally have won the first ‘Test’ on a turner at Chepauk, but Cameron Bancroft and Travis Head countered the spin well. On a track prepared with the Indian spinners in mind, India A probably rued the absence of Amit Mishra in the second ‘Test’, where Steve O’Keefe spun them to a ten-wicket victory. O’Keefe finished with 14 wickets from the two Tests.
Batting successes were limited for India A. KL Rahul made a solid 96 in the first innings of the first game — a performance that must have impressed his illustrious namesake, who is also coach of the side. Virat Kohli showed gumption when he turned up for the second ‘Test’, and glimpses of his class with a second-innings 45.
Unfortunately, runs merely meant batting practice Kohli and Rahul, for both of them were scheduled to play the first Test against Sri Lanka anyway. Rahul Dravid would probably have expected more batsmen to grab the opportunity they were presented with, though the performance of Pragyan Ojha (who took 10 of the 24 Australian wickets to fall) must have made him feel better.
Cheteshwar Pujara was one man the selectors and the fans were keen to watch, but he disappointed after scoring 55 in the first innings. It seems his confidence is down at the moment but I am sure it is just a matter of time before he regains his touch and starts playing to his potential.
Spinners played a crucial role in the 50-over tournament as well. The Indian bowling attack was decimated in their first match against Australia A; Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns both slammed hundreds before Adam Zampa bowled beautifully to skittle the hosts. The chase began in spirited fashion, but fizzled out as wickets kept falling.
The same bowlers did a good job against South Africa A. India dropped Parvez Rasool (who was hammered by Burns); Akshar Patel did not do too well, but Karn Sharma, unlike in the Australia A match, bowled slower in the air to obtain turn. Though it was Rishi Dhawan who got the wickets, Karn was largely responsible for South Africa’s eight-wicket defeat. Later, Mayank Agarwal and Unmukt Chand ensured there were no hiccups during the chase.
In the return match against Australia A, Karn obtained some turn and drift yet again, and took three wickets. Akshar bowled with more control and played the perfect foil. India lost by three wickets but were certainly not outplayed. Once again, the match was decided by Ashton Agar — a spinner — before Callum Ferguson and Zampa pulled things off.
Akshar came to the fore against South Africa A after some outrageous hitting from Mayank and Manish Pandey. It was evident that spinners held the key in the final, and India loaded their side with spinners.
The Indian spinners dominated proceedings in the first half: Akshar and Karn shone, as expected, taking 5 for 62 between them from 20 overs, but Unmukt used Gurkeerat Mann and Karun Nair well; they played crucial roles as well, with 3 for 75 from 19 combined overs.
Dravid was worried about the bowling of his spinners — something he indicated to the media after India lost to Australia A by 119 runs. However, they improved, and in the final, they were good.
The medium-pacers, Sandeep Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni, had no impact whatsoever on a pitch that had nothing in it for them. India A were strolling after the tourists scored 226, but a middle-order failure and some poor running by Mayank reduced them to 142 for 6. Thankfully, Gurkeerat and Sanju Samson kept cool, and India A won with time to spare.
Mayank finished with 377 runs from five innings with two centuries and a fifty. Moreover, his belligerent style was a huge positive for India. An average of 82 with a strike rate of 114 tells the story.
Unmukt was more solid than belligerent, and was immaculate with his bowling changes in the final. Akshar, and to some extent Karn, looked probing. An extended run to Akshar may be a good idea, more so because of his excellent fielding and the ability to play cameos down the order.
Unfortunately, India’s hunt for the next fast bowler continues. Rishi Dhawan did well in one match, but did not do enough to generate interest in the selectors. To be fair, the pitches had nothing for them, but at international level, they will have to contend with more than Quinton de Kock, who scored two centuries in two matches against India, and the likes of Burns, Khawaja and Travis Head.
In a nutshell, India can turn back at Ojha in the five-day format, while both Mayank and Akshar have merited a consideration in coloured clothing. Unfortunately, India do not play a limited-overs match on their Sri Lanka tour, which means they will have to wait.
All in all, it was a good outing for Rahul Dravid’s men.
(VVS Laxman, CricketCountry’s Chief Cricket Mentor, remains one of the finest and most elegant batsmen in history. He was part of the iconic Indian middle-order for over a decade and a half and played 134 Tests and 86 ODIs. He tweets at @vvslaxman281)
