India A declare on 464 for 5 and leave New Zealand A 36 for 2 in Lincoln

India A turned a solid start into a commanding position on the second day of the third unofficial Test against New Zealand A at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Sunday, declaring at 464 for 5 and then reducing the hosts to 36 for 2 by stumps.

The visitors lead by 428 runs with eight New Zealand A first-innings wickets in hand. Tilak Varma was unbeaten on 81 and Washington Sundar on 50 when the declaration came, with about an hour of play left in the day.

How India A built the total

India A began the day on 227 for 2, after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 102 and a 175-run opening stand with Sai Sudharsan on a rain-hit first day. We covered that in our day-one report. They added 237 runs for three more wickets on Sunday and reached 331 for 4 by lunch.

Sudharsan, who resumed on 77, was bowled by Zak Gibson for 88 off 255 balls, 12 short of a century. He and captain Dhruv Jurel had put on 66 for the third wicket. Jurel then made 71 off 95 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, before he mistimed a short ball from Cameron Paul and was caught at deep backward square leg.

Ravindra Jadeja made 25 off 71 balls and put on 44 with Tilak before he edged Gibson to Matthew Boyle. Their stand began at 306 for 4, and Tilak went on to reach his fifty off 131 balls.

Tilak and Sundar then took India A past 400 and on to 464 in an unbroken stand of 114. Tilak hit five fours and two sixes in his 81, one of the sixes coming off Dean Foxcroft. Sundar’s fifty came off 107 balls and the declaration followed straight after it.

New Zealand A were short of pace for much of the day. Jarrod McKay did not bowl because of a side strain and Ferns was troubled by a back problem, which left Gibson, who finished with two wickets for 73, and the other bowlers to carry the load.

Prasidh and Bumrah in the evening

New Zealand A faced 14 overs before stumps and lost two wickets in them for 36 runs. Prasidh Krishna, who is returning from a left hamstring injury according to one match report, dismissed Rhys Mariu for a duck in the first over of the innings. He then trapped Curtis Heaphy lbw for 19 off 35 balls, after Sudharsan had put down a chance off Heaphy at third slip.

Prasidh ended the day with figures of 2 for 12. Jasprit Bumrah shared the new ball and bowled an opening spell of six overs for 11 runs, without a wicket. One report says it was his first first-class match since the Guwahati Test against South Africa nearly a year ago, and the spells from both men are being watched as preparation for India’s coming Test series against New Zealand.

Foxcroft was on 10 and nightwatchman Gibson on 1 at the close, the pair who will resume on Monday.

The series so far

The first two unofficial Tests in the series were both drawn. In the first, at the same ground, India A were bowled out for 113 on the opening day, as our report on Simon Keene’s five wickets described, and still avoided defeat after a big second-innings total. The second match also ended without a result.

That leaves this game as the one in which either side can still take the series lead. A lead of 428 with at least two full days left, if the weather allows, gives India A time to bowl New Zealand A out twice, though rain has already taken more than 20 overs from the match.

Day two at Lincoln

• 464/5India A, declared after 146 overs
• 114*unbroken stand, Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar
• 2/12Prasidh Krishna, both New Zealand A wickets
• 36/2New Zealand A at stumps, 428 behind

What happens next

Day three is on Monday, November 9. New Zealand A need to bat out the day and find a way to cut into the 428-run deficit, while India A’s attack will look for the eight wickets that remain in the hosts’ first innings. The match is scheduled to run to November 10.