AUS A vs IND A highlights: Rahul fails again; here's what happened on Day 2

KL Rahul’s form slump took a dramatic turn as he was bowled in bizarre fashion during India A's second innings against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (November 8). Attempting to leave a tossed-up delivery, Rahul misjudged its line, allowing the ball to ricochet off his pads and dislodge the stumps. His dismissal for 10 left India A reeling at 73/5, adding to his mounting struggles ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.   

 

Top-order collapse fuels Australian dominance

  The Indian top-order faltered yet again, with Abhimanyu Easwaran (17) and Sai Sudharsan (3) failing to provide stability. Australia A's disciplined pace attack, led by Nathan McAndrew (2/22) and Beau Webster (2/14), wreaked havoc, leaving India A clinging to a slender 11-run lead with five wickets down.   

 

Jurel and Reddy provide late resistance 

  Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (19 not out) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (9 not out) managed to stem the collapse, negotiating the final overs of the day without further damage. Their cautious approach ensured India A stayed in the fight, albeit on shaky ground. 

 

Indian bowlers fight back with fiery spells 

  Earlier, India A's pacers shone brightly, with Prasidh Krishna’s 4/50 and Mukesh Kumar’s 3/41 helping dismiss Australia A for 223. Marcus Harris led Australia’s charge with a gritty 74, while Rocchiccioli’s late fireworks (35 off 28 balls) pushed the visitors to a valuable first-innings lead of 62 runs.

 

India A’s batting frailties exposed 

  In response, India A’s batters once again faltered. Easwaran’s misjudged shot and Padikkal’s early exit (1) highlighted their struggles against the swinging ball. With Rahul’s misstep compounding their misery, the side faces an uphill task to avoid a series sweep after losing the opening match by seven wickets.  Australia A vs India A 2nd unofficial Test full video high   

 

Australia A vs India A 2nd unofficial Test full scorecards

 

India A 2nd Innings
Batting	Dismissals	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Abhimanyu Easwaran	c Rocchiccioli b McAndrew	17	31	2	0	54.83
KL Rahul	b Rocchiccioli	10	44	0	0	22.72
Sai Sudharsan	c Bancroft b Webster	3	8	0	0	37.5
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)	lbw b McAndrew	11	20	1	0	55
Devdutt Padikkal	c McSweeney b Webster	1	19	0	0	5.26
Dhruv Jurel †	not out	19	47	1	0	40.42
Nitish Kumar Reddy	not out	9	19	1	0	47.36
Extras	(lb 1, nb 2)	3
Total	31 Ov (RR: 2.35)	73/5
Bowling	O	M	R	W	ECON	NB
Scott Boland	9	3	18	0	2	2
Nathan McAndrew	8	2	22	2	2.75	0
Beau Webster	7	3	14	2	2	0
Corey Rocchiccioli	7	1	18	1	2.57	0

 

Australia A 1st Innings
Batting	Dismissals	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes	Strike Rate
Nathan McSweeney (c)	c Rahul b Mukesh Kumar	14	30	1	0	46.66
Marcus Harris	c †Jurel b Prasidh Krishna	74	138	5	0	53.62
Cameron Bancroft	c Kotian b Ahmed	3	22	0	0	13.63
Sam Konstas	lbw b Ahmed	3	18	0	0	16.66
Oliver Davies	c Mukesh Kumar b Prasidh Krishna	13	20	1	0	65
Beau Webster	c Rahul b Mukesh Kumar	5	16	0	0	31.25
Jimmy Peirson †	c †Jurel b Prasidh Krishna	30	70	5	0	42.85
Nathan McAndrew	not out	26	36	2	0	72.22
Scott Boland	c Easwaran b Prasidh Krishna	0	1	0	0	0
Corey Rocchiccioli	c †Jurel b Mukesh Kumar	35	28	3	2	125
Michael Neser	absent hurt	-	-	-	-	-
Extras	(b 8, lb 6, nb 6)	20
Total	62.1 Ov (RR: 3.58)	223
Bowling	Over	Maiden	Runs	Wickets	Economy	NB
Mukesh Kumar	16.1	3	41	3	2.53	0
Khaleel Ahmed	15	2	56	2	3.73	5
Prasidh Krishna	16	6	50	4	3.12	0
Nitish Kumar Reddy	7	0	28	0	4	0
Tanush Kotian	8	0	34	0	4.25	1

   

India A 1st Innings
Batting	Dismissals	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Abhimanyu Easwaran	c Rocchiccioli b Neser	0	3	0	0	0
KL Rahul	c †Peirson b Boland	4	4	1	0	100
Sai Sudharsan	c Bancroft b Neser	0	1	0	0	0
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)	c Bancroft b Neser	4	6	1	0	66.66
Devdutt Padikkal	c Rocchiccioli b Neser	26	55	3	0	47.27
Dhruv Jurel †	c Davies b McSweeney	80	186	6	2	43.01
Nitish Kumar Reddy	c †Peirson b Webster	16	35	3	0	45.71
Tanush Kotian	b Webster	0	4	0	0	0
Khaleel Ahmed	c McSweeney b Webster	1	4	0	0	25
Prasidh Krishna	c Harris b Rocchiccioli	14	37	2	0	37.83
Mukesh Kumar	not out	5	14	0	0	35.71
Extras	(b 4, nb 6, w 1)	11
Total	57.1 Ov (RR: 2.81)	161
Bowling	O	M	R	W	ECON	NB
Michael Neser	12.2	5	27	4	2.18	0
Scott Boland	15	0	51	1	3.4	6
Nathan McAndrew	11	5	34	0	3.09	0
Corey Rocchiccioli	7.5	0	21	1	2.68	0
Beau Webster	9	4	19	3	2.11	0
Nathan McSweeney	2	0	5	1	2.5	0