Dhruv Jurel Shines as India A Struggles on Day 1 of Second Unofficial Test

Dhruv Jurel was the lone standout for India A on a challenging opening day of the second unofficial Test against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). On a green-tinged pitch offering plenty of bounce and seam movement, Australia A's bowlers, led by Michael Neser, took full advantage after winning the toss, reducing India A to a precarious 161 all out. Jurel, with a gritty 80, was the only batter to offer significant resistance, as the rest of the India A lineup faltered in what proved to be a tough audition for spots in India's Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series.

Australia A ended the day in a strong position, at 53 for 2 in their reply, still trailing by 108 runs.

Early Struggles for India A

The day belonged to Neser, who caused havoc with the new ball. His opening burst was devastating, with the seamer striking twice in the first over of the match. Abhimanyu Easwaran, battling for a place in the Indian Test team in case Rohit Sharma misses the start of the series, was the first to go, edging to gully after struggling to handle the sharp seam movement off the surface. Sai Sudharsan followed soon after, dismissed off the very first ball he faced, and India A found themselves at a worrying 2 for 2.

KL Rahul, another batter looking to secure his place as an opener for the Test series, began promisingly with a boundary off the first ball he faced from Scott Boland. However, his stay was short-lived as he feathered an edge to the slips, and by the end of the third over, India A were reeling at 11 for 4. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the third of Neser’s victims, was dismissed cheaply, leaving India A in a perilous position.

Jurel and Padikkal Fight Back

With the top order falling apart, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal came together to rebuild the innings. Both players showed resilience, weathering the early storm from Neser and Boland. Once the pace duo was rested, the back-up seamers offered less resistance, and the pair started to push the scoring rate. However, the breakthrough came just before lunch, when Neser returned to end a promising 53-run stand by dismissing Padikkal for 26.

With Nitish Reddy joining him at the crease, Jurel continued to show great temperament and composure. His backfoot play, in particular, stood out, as he took on the difficult conditions with a calm and methodical approach. The middle-order spot for India’s Test squad is still up for grabs, and Jurel made a strong case for himself with his excellent knock. He carried India A past the 100-run mark, but the tail crumbled quickly after his departure.

Beau Webster, in a key spell, took two wickets in an over, dismissing Nitish Reddy and Tanush Kotian. Jurel, though, kept fighting, farming the strike and adding 36 runs with Prasidh Krishna before finally falling for 80—just 20 runs shy of a well-deserved century. India A were eventually bowled out for 161, but the hosts’ victory was tempered by an injury to Neser, who was ruled out for the remainder of the game after suffering a hamstring strain.

Australia A’s Response

In response, Australia A's openers were also put to the test by a fired-up India A bowling attack. Nathan McSweeney, chasing a wide delivery from Mukesh Kumar, fell early to a soft dismissal, while Cameron Bancroft followed soon after, dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed. However, Marcus Harris batted with resolute defense, finishing the day unbeaten on 26, with Australia A at 53 for 2, still trailing by 108 runs.

India A’s bowlers had put in a disciplined effort, but with plenty of work left to do, the second day promises to be a crucial one in what has already been a gripping contest.

Brief Scores:

India A 161 all out (Dhruv Jurel 80; Michael Neser 4-27, Beau Webster 3-19)
Australia A 53/2 (Marcus Harris 26*; Mukesh Kumar 1-13)
India A lead by 108