KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan (Source:@ABsay_ek,x.com)
Indian opening batter KL Rahul scored a sublime century and B Sai Sudharsan followed the suit with a fine ton of his own as India A launched a spirited chase of 412 runs against Australia A on Day 4 of the second unofficial Test in Lucknow on Friday.
KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan Lead India A’s Charge in Mammoth Chase
Rahul, who had earlier retired hurt on 74 on Day 3, returned to the crease in the morning session and continued his composed innings. He brought up his 22nd First-Class century off 143 deliveries, striking 12 classy boundaries. He anchored India A’s innings with experience and poise. His return from injury comes just ahead of India's Test series opener against the West Indies next week.
It would not be wrong to say that this century will give KL Rahul a much-needed confidence ahead of the West Indies Test starting on October 2, 2025.
Supporting Rahul was Sai Sudharsan, who played a mature and elegant knock to bring up a well-deserved century. Known for his calm temperament, Sudharsan displayed classical Test match batting, reaching triple figures (100 runs off 172 balls) and keeping India A firmly in control of the chase.
Australia A, who began the day at 16/3 in their second innings, were bundled out for just 185 runs. The India A bowling unit showed vast improvement from their first-innings performance, where they had conceded 420 runs.
Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar and pacer Gurnoor Brar shared three wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with two crucial dismissals.
Chasing a massive 412, India A began strongly with KL Rahul and N Jagadeesan putting on a solid opening stand. Jagadeesan, recently added to the senior Test squad, made 36 runs off 55 balls.Devdutt Padikkal also failed with the bat and followed soon after, but India A remained steady.
It is also important to note that, as Padikkal failed to perform and Sai Sudharsan performed well, it would ease the headache of the selectors for the WI Tests.
At the time of writing this article, India A is at 267/4 with both KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan firmly at the crease; India A needs 145 runs to win the match.
