India A moved closer to victory in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A after the hosts lost six wickets for 132 runs while chasing a target of 313 at tea on the fourth day, Tuesday, October 27. Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Aquib Nabi took three wickets in the second innings to put India A in a commanding position. India need four more wickets to win the match.
New Zealand A made a poor start to their chase as Aquib Nabi dismissed captain Rhys Mariu and Tim Robinson in the same over. Mariu was bowled for two, while Robinson returned to the pavilion without scoring. The early dismissals left New Zealand A at eight for two.
Nabi continued to trouble the hosts, bowling Matt Boyle for four. New Zealand A had lost three wickets for just 13 runs, leaving their top order under immediate pressure.
Following the early setbacks, Dean Foxcroft and Curtis Heaphy attempted to stabilise the innings. The pair added 78 runs for the fourth wicket before Foxcroft was dismissed for 42 by Mukesh Choudhary.
Anshul Kamboj then removed Mitchell Hay for 12, while Washington Sundar dismissed Kristian Clarke to reduce New Zealand A to six wickets down.
At tea, Heaphy remained unbeaten on 58, with New Zealand A requiring another 181 runs to reach the target. Nabi had also taken three wickets in the first innings, bringing his match tally to six wickets across both innings.
India A had struggled in their first innings, managing only 113 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 17, while Devdutt Padikkal contributed 32. KL Rahul was dismissed without scoring, and Yash Rathod remained unbeaten on 44 to take India A past the 100-run mark.
New Zealand A's Simon Keene took five wickets, restricting the visitors to a low first-innings total.
In reply, New Zealand A scored 317 runs. Captain Rhys Mariu contributed 76, while Dean Foxcroft scored 51. The hosts secured a first-innings lead of 204 runs, putting India A under pressure.
India A recovered in the second innings, scoring 516 runs to set New Zealand A a target of 313. Devdutt Padikkal led the recovery with 199 off 248 balls, including 24 fours and three sixes. He fell one run short of a double century.
Padikkal shared a 215-run partnership for the third wicket with Sai Sudharsan, who scored 91. Yash Rathod added 66, while Washington Sundar contributed 52.
Aquib Nabi scored 38 in the lower order, and Akash Deep remained unbeaten on 25 as India A extended their second-innings total to 516.
India A's bowling performance on the fourth day put them within four wickets of victory. However, New Zealand A still had four wickets in hand at tea, with Heaphy unbeaten on 58 and the hosts needing 181 more runs to reach the target.
