India A beat New Zealand A by an innings and 31 runs

India A pulled off a dominating all-round effort to defeat New Zealand A by an innings and 31 runs shortly after lunch on the third day of their first unofficial Test here.

Leg-spinner Karn Sharma and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem bagged four-wicket hauls in both innings to restrict the visitors to 147 and 142 runs in the first and second innings, respectively.

Forced to follow-on in reply to the Indian total of 320, New Zealand A, failing to get a grip on the match, collapsed on the third day from their overnight 64 for 2 to 142 all out.

Apart from openers Jeet Raval and George Worker, none of the other batsmen crossed the 20-run mark for the visitors.

Wicket-keeper batsman Tim Seifert was the only one who was able to pick up the lethal spinners well and was largely untroubled for 35 deliveries before perishing to a sharp Karn leg-break that beat his forward push and rapped him on the pads.

Seifert was also the top scorer of his side in the first innings with 35 runs.

The New Zealand A batting line-up was reduced to 98 for 5 inside 11 overs. The lower order then came out trying to slog the spinners out of the field but failed in their design.

The second four-day match between India and New Zealand A will be played at the same venue here on September 30.

Brief Scores: India A 320 (Shreyas Iyer 108, Rishabh Pant 67, Ish Sodhi 5-94) beat New Zealand A 147 (Seifert 35, Nadeem 4/39, Karn 4/58) and 142 (Worker 35, Karn 4/62, Nadeem 4/51) by an innings and 31 runs.

--IANS

sam/dg