Dhruv Jurel’s incredible knock helped India A to post 291/7 against New Zealand A in the second unofficial Test at Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Published: October 31, 2026, 1:31 PM IST
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Dhruv Jurel’s impressive 99-runs knock vs New Zealand A (Image – X)
India A captain Dhruv Jurel played a brilliant innings of 99 not out to help his team reach 291/7 on the first day of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand AThe match is being played at Hagley Oval on SaturdayJurel showed great patience and stayed at the crease when India A were losing wickets at regular intervals.
Devdutt Padikkal also played an important role in the innings as he scored 80 runsHis batting helped India A get off to a good start after losing an early wicketLater Jurel took charge and helped the team recover from a difficult position with the help of some useful partnerships.
India A had a poor start to their innings as Fraser Sheat dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very first overJaiswal failed to score a run and returned to the pavilion after facing just four ballsHowever, Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan did not allow New Zealand A to put more pressure on themThe two batters played well and added 91 runs for the second wicket before lunch.
Sudharsan looked comfortable at the crease and scored 41 runs off 63 ballsHowever, he lost his wicket soon after lunch when Mitchell Hay took his catch off Jarrod McKay’s bowlingYash Rathod also failed to score big and was dismissed for 13 runs after edging Brett Randell’s delivery to the wicketkeeperWith these two wickets, India A were reduced to 131/3.
Padikkal continued to play good shots and reached a valuable half-centuryHe scored 80 runs with the help of 12 boundariesHowever, Sheat ended his innings by bowling him outHis dismissal brought more trouble for India A as the team lost two more wickets without adding any runs to the scoreboard.
Sheat dismissed Smaran Ravichandran and Washington Sundar in quick successionSmaran returned to the pavilion without scoring, while Washington managed only eight runsThese quick wickets put India A under pressure and the team soon found itself struggling at 160/6.
With the team in trouble Jurel took responsibility and focused on keeping the innings goingHe found good support from Manav Suthar, and the two added 62 runs for the seventh wicketSuthar played a useful innings of 22 runs before losing his wicketHis partnership with Jurel helped India A move past a difficult stage.
After Suthar’s dismissal, Akash Deep joined Jurel at the creaseThe two batters stayed together and did not allow New Zealand A to take another wicket before the end of the dayThey added 69 runs for the eighth wicket and helped India A reach a better position.
Jurel remained unbeaten on 99 runs at stumps and missed his century by just one runAkash Deep also stayed not out and gave him good support at the other endIndia A will now look to add more runs when play begins on the second day.
For New Zealand A, Fraser Sheat was the most successful bowlerHe took four wickets for 50 runs in 19 oversBrett Randell, Jarrod McKay and Jayden Lennox picked up one wicket each.
Brief Scores: India A 291/7 in 88 overs (Dhruv Jurel 99*, Devdutt Padikkal 80; Fraser Sheat 4/50) vs New Zealand A.
