On a surface that offered uneven bounce and enough uncertainty to keep batters guessing, India-A's bowlers turned the first unofficial Test against Australia-A into a showcase of discipline, patience and exploitation of conditions. While the pitch was expected to bring the spinners into play, it was the pace pair of Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande who did the early damage on Friday, setting up a 162-run victory for India-A at the Siechem Cricket Stadium.
Australia-A began the final chase with their batters clearly aware of the threat posed by the turning ball, but the first hour belonged to India-A's seamers. Kamboj made the ball talk immediately, using the uneven bounce to force Nathan McSweeney into a gloved dismissal behind the wicket. Two overs later, he produced another telling delivery to Peter Handscomb, who pressed forward to a fuller ball only to see it slip under the bat and crash into the off stump. Those two wickets gave India-A the early control they needed, and Deshpande quickly deepened Australia-A's troubles.
Deshpande removed Josh Philippe and Liam Scott off consecutive deliveries, both batters undone by the same basic error: committing to the front foot against a pitch that was not offering the certainty their strokes demanded. The ball held its line, the surface did the rest, and Australia-A were suddenly forced into survival mode. The opening burst all but settled the contest before the chase had properly begun.
Yet Australia-A were not finished. Fergus O'Neill, batting with assurance and intent, delayed India-A's march to victory with a lively 52-ball 47 that included five fours and a six. He showed composure against spin, twice launching Tanush Kotian over mid-wicket, and even brought out a reverse sweep past point to keep the pressure from becoming overwhelming. His resistance, however, was more about postponing the inevitable than changing the outcome.
Kotian eventually had his reward when he bowled Jason Sangha for 26. Sangha had already been given two reprieves off left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, with Devdutt Padikkal declining a DRS review on a leg-before appeal and wicketkeeper Kumar Kushgra missing a stumping chance. Those missed opportunities briefly gave Australia-A hope of extending the contest, but India-A's bowlers remained relentless.
The most stubborn resistance came from Todd Murphy, who joined O'Neill in a useful 67-run stand for the eighth wicket that pushed the match into the second session. That partnership forced India-A to wait a little longer for the finish, but only briefly. Mulani then found the breakthrough by drawing O'Neill into his on-side trap, inducing a slog sweep that landed in the hands of deep square leg just three runs short of a half-century.
Once O'Neill departed, the end came quickly. Mulani struck again in his next two overs, removing Murphy and Brendan Doggett to wrap up the innings and seal the match just 30 minutes into the second session. The result underlined India-A's control across both innings, with the home side defending 334 and 199 to dismiss Australia-A for 171 and 200.
Deshpande finished with 3 for 14, while Mulani claimed 3 for 57. O'Neill's counterattacking 47 was the lone bright spot in Australia-A's second innings, but the match belonged to India-A's collective bowling effort and their ability to read the pitch better than the visitors. Wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra was named player of the match, a recognition that reflected his contribution in a game where India-A's bowlers ultimately dictated the terms from the outset.