The Indian A cricket team faced a significant setback during their first unofficial Test match against New Zealand A on Saturday. The visiting side, which includes several players slated to feature in the upcoming senior Test series against New Zealand, was bundled out for a modest total of 113 runs in their first innings. The performance has raised questions about the preparedness of the batting lineup ahead of the challenging two-match Test series scheduled for next month.
Seven players from the current India A playing eleven are part of the senior squad that will face New Zealand in the upcoming Test matches. However, the majority of these seasoned campaigners failed to make a meaningful impact on the scoreboard. KL Rahul, the vice-captain of the Indian Test team, endured a difficult outing as he was dismissed for an eight-ball duck. He had been positioned to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, but their partnership lasted only 15 balls and yielded a mere five runs before the collapse began.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is also expected to open for India in the senior Test series, was dismissed for 17 runs. Among the top-order and middle-order batsmen featuring in the senior setup, only three players managed to reach double-digit scores. Devdutt Padikkal contributed 32 runs, while Anshul Kamboj added 10. The rest of the experienced lineup struggled against the New Zealand A bowling attack, with captain Dhruv Jurel dismissed for just one run and all-rounder Washington Sundar recording a six-ball duck.
The innings saw little resistance from the lower order, as Akash Deep was dismissed for a two-ball duck after coming in at number ten. The only significant resistance came from Vidarbha’s Yash Rathod, who top-scored for the side with a 44-run knock off 49 balls. His innings provided the only stability in an otherwise fragile batting display, as the team struggled to adapt to the conditions and the opposition's bowling.
This unofficial Test series serves as crucial preparation for the Indian team before their upcoming Test matches, which are set to begin on November 19 in Wellington, followed by a second Test in Christchurch on November 27. The tour is the final leg of a wider campaign in New Zealand, which includes ongoing five-match T20I and ODI series. While India secured a victory in the first T20I by four wickets after successfully chasing a target of 226, the recent collapse of the A-team highlights potential vulnerabilities as the players transition to the longer format.
The upcoming Test series carries additional weight following India’s 3-0 series loss to New Zealand in 2024. That historical result marked the first time New Zealand had won a series in India, as well as the first instance of the team winning more than one Test match on Indian soil. As the squad prepares for the upcoming red-ball challenge, the performance in this opening unofficial Test will likely prompt a review of strategy and form by the coaching staff.
Looking ahead, the focus for the selectors and the team management will remain on ensuring the senior squad members regain their rhythm. With the first Test in Wellington only a few weeks away, the remaining unofficial matches provide a limited window for these players to correct their technical errors and build confidence. The team will look to bounce back in the subsequent matches of the unofficial series to regain momentum before the official tour begins.
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