Ajinkya Rahane scores unbeaten century in a practice game against Australia A

India A ended the first day on 237/8 after 90 overs with Ajinkya Rahane slamming a century on Sunday. Pujara scored a fifty, but it was the Indian skipper who seized the headlines with his 34th first-class hundred. Rahane remained unbeaten at the end of the day scoring 108 runs in 228 balls.

The visitors have got back to action with the first warm-up game against Australia A. Team India’s Test specialists finally got a hit out after a gap of so many months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, Australia A had some of the national team players, which includes captain Tim Paine and Travis Head.

It was one of the worst possible starts for Team India. The openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw failed to open the account. India A was struggling at 6/2 in the third over itself. But then India’s two most reliable test players partnered to stimulate the innings.

Rahane and Pujara batted patiently to mend a 76-run partnership. Pujara scored a half-century before getting dismissed by James Pattinson. In Pujara’s previous tour, he scored 500 runs with three centuries.

The Indian side then suffered a mini-collapse with Saha and Ashwin falling quickly just before Tea. With 116 for three wickets, they were curtailed to 128/6 in no time. There were chances of the team getting wrapped up for a meager score. Hanuma Vihari hung on for a few overs and contributed 15 runs from 51 balls which included a couple of boundaries.

Ajinkya Rahane Featured Prominently on Day 1

The test skipper Ajinkya Rahane had other plans. He took Kuldeep Yadav besides him and kept batting patiently. Rahane survived a couple of close calls, but then he looked determined.

He played some stunning strokes to add 69 runs for the 7th wicket. He grabbed his 34th first-class ton. Rahane smashed 16 boundaries and a six during his long stand at the crease. The 32-year-old seemed in right touch during his bold knock. Rahane will quite possibly be leading the side after Virat Kohli leaves after the first Test match.

India A managed to post 237 runs for the loss of 8 wickets after 90 overs. In terms of Australia A, James Pattinson was the most remarkable bowler with three doors. The visitors will play four Tests against Australia from December 17 in Adelaide.

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