IND-A vs AUS-A: Murphy, Rocchiccioli help Australia push India back on Day 2 of unofficial Test

File photo: Todd Murphy took two wickets for 26 runs as India ended the day with five wickets to spare in its first innings against Australia-A. | Photo Credit: K. R Deepak

Neither Devdutt Padikkal (41, 46b, 4x4) nor B. Sai Sudharsan could bail India-A out of a batting slump, and the host had its back to the wall against Australia-A after the second day of the second unofficial Test at the Siechem Cricket Stadium in Puducherry.

The India internationals had chipped in with runs in the first game, but Todd Murphy (two for 26) and Corey Rocchiccioli snared them in their contrasting speed variations to hit the spine of this Indian batting lineup. India-A was 122 for five at Stumps, still 236 behind the visitors.

Ayush Pandey flattered to deceive as he got off the mark with a languid straight drive off Jhye Richardson, but got lured outside off in the same over and was caught behind.

Padikkal was quick off the blocks against Liam Hatcher, whom he square-drove and chipped over mid-wicket for two boundaries. He was scoring at more than run-a-ball after he late-cut Rocchiccioli, but it did not take long for things to slip out of India-A’s hands.

Rocchiccioli, with his tall release and flight, had already got deliveries to misbehave with extra bounce. With Sudharsan pushed into his crease to tackle this trepidation, the gambit was completed by Murphy, who fired a delivery full, got it to turn low and crash into the off-stump.

Padikkal was helpless to a similar delivery, an odd occasion where Rocchiccioli bowled quicker. got the ball to stay low and rearrange his castle.

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Shaik Rasheed (36 batting, 140b, 2x4) was gifted two freebies on his pads by Richardson, which he glanced and flicked behind square for boundaries. Seeing the slide, he opted to stonewall to survive till stumps, but was let down by Yash Rathod and Kumar Kushagra.

Rathod was caught behind on a wild hack off Rocchiccioli on 15, while it was a sharp nip-backer from Liam Scott that was too good for Kushagra on 10.

India could have been further adrift had Sam Harper (128, 223b, 7x4, 3x6) not decided to flaunt the restraint in his game. The overnight centurion, resuming on 101, added just 20 runs off 60 balls in the morning session, letting Richardson (31, 67b, 6x4) take the initiative.

Richardson went after the pacers, driving off Anshul Kamboj and Nachiket Bhute and pulling Tushar Deshpande.

Kotian extracted a sharp turn off the wicket to breach his gate and end the eighth-wicket stand on 57. And just 20 minutes after lunch, Kamboj nabbed Harper and Hatcher off successive deliveries, caught behind and leg-before respectively, to hold off Australia-A on 358.