Jurel’s unbeaten 99 and Padikkal 80 carry India A

October 31, 2026
2:27 pm

India A 291 for 7 (Jurel 99*, Padikkal 80, Sheat 4-50) vs New Zealand A

After scores of 1 and 2 in last week’s first unofficial Test, Dhruv Jurel marked his return to run-scoring ways with a combative unbeaten 99 that helped arrest an India A collapse against New Zealand A on the opening day in Christchurch.

Jurel was faced with a crisis as India A lost 3 for 6 in the space of six deliveries in the afternoon session, but strung together a 62-run stand for the seventh wicket with Manav Suthar. He continued his good work batting with the lower order with a 69-run unbeaten partnership with Akash Deep. Jurel made it to the 90s in the 79th over but was content to play out the remaining nine overs to stumps.

The surface wasn’t as green as the one in Lincoln, but there was still plenty of lateral movement on offer for the fast bowlers. Fraser Sheat constantly threatened both edges with his late inswing for much of the day – well evidenced by the fact that all four wickets were either lbw or bowled.

With Yashasvi Jaiswal gone for a duck four balls into the day – lbw to an inswinger from Sheat – B Sai Sudharsan, promoted to open in KL Rahul’s absence, and Devdutt Padikkal, fresh off 199 in the first game, set about rebuilding the innings. The pair batted through for the remainder of the first session.

Batting wasn’t easy and both men were happy to grind out the tough opening burst. Sai Sudharsan was particularly lucky when he survived a thick inside edge that almost shaved leg stump in the fifth over. In the seventh, also off Sheat, he seemed to have been trapped plumb lbw playing around the front pad, only for the umpire to inexplicably give him the benefit of doubt.

Once Sai Sudharsan waded past those early troubles, he opened up to play some fluent drives. Padikkal, on 5 off 40 at one point, quickly caught up with his partner by playing a series of gorgeous drives, almost as if he was simply carrying on from the previous game.

Padikkal tried to counter the late movement at Hagley Oval by batting well outside the crease and offering a long forward stride to take lbw out of the picture. And when the bowlers erred by bowling short, he was quick to pounce, a cut behind point bringing up his half-century in the second session.

Sai Sudharsan too looked set for the long haul, but wafted at a delivery outside off to tall seamer Jarrod McKay immediately after lunch. This triggered the start of a collapse as Sheat went on a rampage.

Padikkal was out chopping on, R Smaran, coming in for his first game of the tour, left alone a delivery he thought wouldn’t nip in as much as it did, to be given out lbw first ball, and Washington Sundar played and missed a full delivery that was headed only one way.

At 160 for 6, with more than half a day’s play still remaining, Jurel set about rebuilding the innings. Initially, he struggled to cope with the late movement and the bounce but as the New Zealand A seamers kept tiring, they kept straying into the pads, with Jurel picking them off.

Having waited all afternoon, New Zealand A brought on Jayden Lennox, the left-arm spinner, to try and outfox a right-hander (Jurel) in a left-hand heavy batting line-up. Jurel swept well and used the crease nicely to cut or dab when he erred, to keep the scorecard ticking en route his half-century.

Suthar too held his own, along the way showing the team management what he can offer with the bat in addition to his left-arm spin. He made 22 until a loose drive off Lennox led to him nicking behind.

Jurel then took control of the innings and marshalled the lower order, adding 69 runs with Akash Deep to give India A a semblance of control towards the fag end of the day, It could’ve been a lot worse for them, like it was in the first innings in Lincoln, but Jurel’s fighting knock ensured the bowlers have a bigger cushion to work with when play resumes.

Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at Cricinfo