KL Rahul endured a disappointing outing in the first unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A, raising concerns ahead of India’s upcoming Test assignments. The senior batter, who is using the multi-day matches to prepare for the longer format, managed just four runs across two innings. His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, also failed to make a significant contribution, adding to India’s batting woes.
KL Rahul Fails To Deliver Against New Zealand A
The first unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A is being played in Lincoln, with several members of India’s Test setup featuring in the contest. Rahul, who is not part of India’s T20I squad, is using the opportunity to get valuable match practice ahead of the upcoming Test series.
However, the right-handed batter struggled in both innings. Rahul was dismissed for a duck in the first innings after facing eight deliveries, with Fraser Sheat taking his wicket.
There was little improvement in his second outing. Rahul managed only four runs from 15 balls before suffering another dismissal off Sheat’s bowling. On this occasion, he accidentally dislodged the bails with his bat while attempting to stop the ball, resulting in his dismissal.
Rahul’s combined contribution of just four runs from the two innings made it a match to forget for the experienced batter.
Yashasvi Jaiswal Also Struggles With Bat
Rahul was not the only India opener to disappoint. Jaiswal also failed to convert his starts into substantial scores against New Zealand A.
The left-handed batter looked reasonably comfortable at the beginning of his first innings but was dismissed for 17 runs. His second innings proved even shorter, as he returned to the pavilion after scoring just five.
Jaiswal finished the match with 22 runs across both innings, leaving India A struggling to build a strong opening partnership.
New Zealand A Take Control Of Match
India A were bowled out for 113 in their first innings, with Yash Rathod emerging as the team’s top scorer with 44 runs. New Zealand A’s Simon Keene led the bowling attack with five wickets, while Jack Gibson claimed three.
The hosts responded strongly with the bat, piling up 317 runs to establish a commanding first-innings lead of 204. Captain Royce Mariu contributed 76 runs, while Dean Foxcroft scored 51, Curtis Heaphy made 44 and Christian Clarke added 42.
For India A, Anshul Kamboj and Aaqib Nabi picked up three wickets each.
India A then needed a solid response in their second innings to reduce the deficit. However, the early dismissals of Jaiswal and Rahul put the team under further pressure, making the task of mounting a comeback considerably tougher.
The match has offered Rahul and Jaiswal an important opportunity to gain red-ball practice, but their performances with the bat have fallen short of expectations.
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