SYDNEY: The Indian cricket team has drawn a three-day practice match played in Sydney before the Adelaide Pink Ball Test. Although he did not win the match, the Indian cricket team learned a lesson from the pink ball. The Indian players are well aware that it is very easy to bat in this once the pink ball is softened. Despite losing 3 wickets for 25 runs, the fact that Australia drew an ‘A’ match on Sunday by beating all the Indian bowlers proved the same. However, the Indian team has benefited greatly from this day-and-night practice. In the first innings, fast bowler Yashpreet Bumjhara (55 *, 54 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) scored another impressive half-century after his impressive half-century. The fine bowling of Mohammad Sami (3/27) and Navdeep Saini (3/18) has also boosted the self-confidence of the Indian bowling force. In the second innings, Mayank Agarwal (41) and Shubman Gill (45) scored half-centuries, while Hanuma Bihari (104 *) and Rushav Pant (103 *) scored strokes, making their final appearances for the Adelaide Test. The Indian bowlers, who dismissed three Australian ‘A’ batsmen in the last 12 overs of the game on Sunday, took only one wicket in the next 43 overs, which has disappointed fans. Meanwhile, Ben McDermott (104 *) and Jack Wildermuth (111 *) have played home centuries to encourage Australia ahead of the much-awaited first Test. The failure of Joe Burns in both innings has certainly disappointed the Kangaroos. Both teams failed in the first innings of the match, when India decided to bat to win the toss. The Indian team scored 18 runs in just 4.3 overs. Similarly, Australia ‘A’ surrendered in the face of a joint attack by the Indian bowlers, losing all their wickets in 32.2 overs and scoring only 107 runs. The Indian team, which was leading by 14 runs on the basis of the first innings, batted well enough in the second innings to score 37 for seven before the second day’s play on Saturday. Before India started the innings on Sunday before the start of Sunday’s game, Australia had a hard-fought target of 43 runs from 40 overs in front of the A’s. India’s hopes of victory were dashed when Australia’s top three batsmen were bowled out for 25 runs by Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Siraj. McDermott, however, avoided the danger by adding 114 runs for the fourth wicket with first-wicket-keeper Alex Carey (57). He then teamed up with Wildermuth to score 175 runs in the undivided fifth wicket to ensure the match was a draw. Australia ‘A’ lost 4 wickets in 45 overs and scored 307 runs, while the match was declared unbeaten with the consent of the captains of both teams.
