SportsCricket
Rain washes out day three in Lincoln, leaving India A 428 ahead with one day left
No ball was bowled on Monday in the third unofficial Test, so New Zealand A stay on 36 for 2 and Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna lose a day of match practice before the Tests.
Key points
- Rain washed out the whole of day three of the third unofficial Test at Lincoln on Monday, November 9.
- New Zealand A remain 36 for 2, 428 runs behind India A's 464 for 5 declared.
- The first Test against New Zealand starts in Wellington on November 19.
Rain washed out the third day of the third unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A at Lincoln on Monday, November 9, and not a ball was bowled. New Zealand A remain 36 for 2, 428 runs behind India A’s 464 for 5 declared, with one day of the four-day match left.
The abandonment hurts the side that was well placed to win. India A declared on Sunday after a Jaiswal century and fifties from the middle order, then took two wickets before stumps. Eight New Zealand A first-innings wickets are still standing, and with only Tuesday, November 10 left, a result now depends on how quickly the hosts can be bowled out, and how many times.
What the weather has taken
Play has been interrupted by rain before. The first day was cut short with about an hour left, when India A were 227 for 2. Day two ran its full course on Sunday. With day three gone as well, the match is down to a single day in which a result can be forced.
The loss matters beyond the scoreline. The match is a warm-up for India’s two-Test series in New Zealand, and two of the bowlers who were meant to use it, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, were both returning from breaks. Bumrah bowled six wicketless overs on Sunday, conceding 11 runs. Prasidh took both New Zealand A wickets, Rhys Mariu for a duck and Curtis Heaphy for 19, and finished with figures of 2 for 12. The washout kept both out of match action on Monday.
Where the match stands
India A’s 464 for 5 was built on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 102, his second century in as many innings on the tour, Sai Sudharsan’s 88, Dhruv Jurel’s 71, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 81 and Washington Sundar’s unbeaten 50. Jaiswal and Sudharsan had put on 175 for the first wicket on day one. We reported the innings in our day-two story.
The hosts’ reply began badly. New Zealand A lost Mariu in the first over and Heaphy later, and were 36 for 2 at stumps on Sunday. Dean Foxcroft and nightwatchman Zak Gibson were at the crease, and they will resume on Tuesday.
The first two unofficial Tests in the series were both drawn, so a third draw is now the most likely result. If it comes, all three matches of the series will have ended without a result.
The Tests ahead
India’s Test squad for the two matches against New Zealand was announced by the BCCI on October 16, and several of the players in this match are in it: Jaiswal, Sudharsan, Padikkal, Jurel and Washington Sundar, as well as Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. The squad is led by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul as vice-captain. Rishabh Pant is in the squad subject to fitness clearance.
The first Test begins at Wellington on Thursday, November 19, at 3:30 am IST. The second follows at Christchurch from Friday, November 27, also at 3:30 am IST. Before those, India’s white-ball squad plays the remaining one-day internationals of the tour, in Hamilton on November 10 and at Mount Maunganui on November 13 and 15.
Lincoln, third unofficial Test
- 464/5 decIndia A's first innings
- 36/2New Zealand A at stumps on day two
- 428runs by which New Zealand A trail
- Nov 19first Test, Wellington
What happens next
The match is scheduled to end on Tuesday, November 10, with one day left to bowl New Zealand A out. India A need eight wickets in the first innings, and if they get them quickly, a lead of this size gives them the option to bat again or enforce the follow-on. Whether play is possible depends on the weather at Lincoln.
The documents
- India's ODI and Test squads for New Zealand tour announcedBCCI, October 16, 2026