India A Crumbles at MCG; Jurel Stands Alone

In a stunning display of bowling, India A endured a catastrophic collapse on the first day of the second unofficial Test against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After being put into bat, the Indian top order crumbled within just 16 deliveries, thanks to the relentless attacks by Australian seamers Michael Neser and Scott Boland.

KL Rahul, recently demoted from India’s main squad for the Tests in New Zealand, was included in the India A side to gain valuable match practice. Despite being allocated a middle-order position, he was promoted to open due to the potential absence of Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. Unfortunately, Rahul faced just four balls, edging a delivery from Boland to the wicketkeeper.

Competing for a place at the top of the order was Abhimanyu Easwaran, who could only manage a duck in his first over against Neser, who threatened a hat-trick early on. Although Devdutt Padikkal and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel offered a glimmer of resistance, it was Jurel who truly shone, anchoring the innings with a resilient half-century and single-handedly lifting India A to a precarious 103 for seven.

His performance, scoring 50 off 118 balls, highlights his potential as he navigated the fierce seam and bounce from the Australian bowlers, emerging as the standout player in a disheartening match for India A.