The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Openers keep India `A' in the hunt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 21, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Openers keep India `A' in the hunt

Sydney: India `A' openers Robin Uthappa (67) and Gautam Gambhir (40) gave the team a good start in the second innings but the visitor would have to bat out the entire fourth day of the Top End Series to save the match against its Australian counterpart.

In response to Australia `A's first innings total of 461 for four declared, India `A' was all out for 254. The host declared its second innings at 274 for seven in just 48 overs and India `A' was 117 for no loss at stumps on day three.

India `A' will require a further 365 runs to win on the final day.

Earlier, India's first innings folded for 254 with overnight batsman Parthiv Patel scoring 43 off 66 balls.

Mitchell Johnson claimed four for 45, while Shaun Tait and Shane Watson grabbed three each.

Jacques on a roll

In Australia's second innings, opener Phil Jacques, who had scored a scintillating 240 in the first innings, struck a swashbuckling 117 off just 103 balls that included seven boundaries and five sixes. The other opener Chris Rodgers also slammed a belligerent 64.

Piyush Chawla was the pick of the Indian bowlers, returning figures of 13-0-55-2.

Positive approach

Set a victory target of 482, both the Indian openers played positively and thrived on the largesse of the butterfingered slip fielders. Uthappa was lucky to survive twice.

The opener soon checked himself and played a flurry of shots, including a towering six off Daniel Cullen over the long-on boundary. He was unbeaten on 67 from 114 balls that included five boundaries and two sixes. Gambhir was batting on 40 off 86 balls with the help of four boundaries.

The scores:

Australia `A' 461 for four decl. and 274 for seven decl. (Phil Jacques 117, Chris Rodgers 64) vs. India `A' 254 and 117 for no loss (Robin Uthappa 67 batting, Gautam Gambhir 40 batting). — UNI

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