Australia A needed just 51 minutes on the fourth day to complete a dominant 10-wicket win in Chennai and wrap up a 1-0 series win
The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai01-Aug-2015
ScorecardGurinder Sandhu cleaned up India A’s lower order to finish with 4 for 76•K Sivaraman
The senior Australian team faltered against England in the third Investec Test at Edgbaston but the Australia A team romped to a ten-wicket win to complete a 1-0 series victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Chasing 61, openers Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja ran down the target in 6.1 overs.Khawaja lauds bowlers
Australia A captain Usman Khawaja toasted the team’s success, which was built on a collective effort.
“Very happy. I haven’t been part of a team here that had come to India, won a four-day game,” Khawaja said. “It was really good win. Credit to all the guys for doing well in Chennai in the heat.”
While Cameron Bancroft’s 150 led the batting charge, Steve O’Keefe and Ashton Agar took nine wickets overall. Gurinder Sandhu also impressed with his offbreaks: each of his four wickets in the second innings came through spin. Khawaja also lauded the seamers for disciplined bowling, which had allowed the spinners to make the incisions.
“Bancroft batted beautifully, that kind of stuff wins games for you,” Khawaja said. “The bowlers have been excellent throughout both games. The fast bowlers have put pressure, the spinners have taken a lot of wickets, but without the fast bowlers doing hard work, I don’t think that would have been possible.”
Motivated by the slow pitch, Khawaja said he had started with spin from both ends on the final day. Sandhu then ripped through the tail with three wickets in a decisive spell that read 3-2-2-3.
“I know the wicket was turning and it was tough work yesterday [for the batsmen] and we would get out wickets with spin. G [Sandhu] bowled well and at the other end Steve O’Keefe bowled really well too. Fortunately, it worked out and we got the wickets quickly.”
At the end of the third day, Australia A captain Usman Khawaja had said: “It is pretty simple from my point of view.” It turned out to be simple, so much so that the visitors needed only 51 minutes to wrap the game up with over two sessions to spare.India A, who had begun the day at 267 for 6, added only seven runs to their overnight total before being wiped out for 274 in 88.3 overs. Gurinder Sandhu, who opened the attack on the final day, bowled three overs of offspin and took as many wickets to run through the tail.Shreyas Gopal was the first to depart as Sandhu generated alarming bounce with his fifth ball, having the batsman lob the ball to Bancroft at forward short leg for a duck. Varun Aaron raced down the track and was stumped for 1 before Baba Aparajith was also foxed by the extra bounce.Aparajith had received a lifeline when he was dropped on 29 at forward short leg off left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe but could not convert his start into a substantial contribution. He was caught by Khawaja at backward short leg after adding one more run.India A’s innings ended when O’Keefe had Shardul Thakur tamely chipping to mid-off. Each of Sandhu’s wickets in the second innings came through offspin while O’Keefe finished with four of his own.Khawaja and Bancroft batted with purpose and intent, again. Khawaja laid down the marker when he ventured down the track and whipped Pragyan Ojha’s fifth ball over mid-on for six. The next ball was firmly reverse-swept to the third-man boundary. Khawaja also banished Pragyan Ojha to deep midwicket with a powerful slog-sweep while Bancroft showed off his adept footwork like he did during his 150 in the first innings, which had set the game up.Bancroft put the seal on a thumping win when he came down and launched Pragyan Ojha over long-off, which summed up Australia A’s domination throughout the second unofficial Test.