The previous two unofficial Test matches also ended in a draw and the story remained the same this time around as well
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Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja missed out on valuable match practice as the third unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A ended in a draw after the fourth and final day was washed out due to rain on Tuesday.
The third day of the match was also abandoned because of rain on Monday, leaving both sides with little opportunity to make progressWith all three unofficial Tests ending in draws, the honours were shared between the two teams.
India A had put themselves in a strong position after scoring 464/5 in their first inningsYashasvi Jaiswal led the batting effort with his second century of the series, while Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar contributed half-centuriesNew Zealand A were 36/2 at the end of the second day’s play.
The third match was particularly important for India as Bumrah and Jadeja were expected to get some much-needed game time ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand.
Bumrah had last played competitive cricket on October 3 during the Asian Games final against Pakistan in Aichi-Nagoya, JapanHe was rested for the white-ball leg of India’s New Zealand tour to keep him fresh for the Test series, which begins on November 19 in Wellington.
The fast bowler managed to bowl just six overs in the third unofficial Test, conceding 11 runsHe would have ideally wanted to bowl a few more spells and build his rhythm before the international assignment, but the weather did not allow him to do so.
Jadeja also had limited time in the middleThe all-rounder, who is usually expected to contribute with the bat in overseas conditions, scored 25 runs off 71 deliveries and spent around an hour and 20 minutes at the creaseHowever, he did not get an opportunity to bowl as India A managed to bowl only 14 overs.
Bumrah, Jadeja, Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sudharsan, Sundar and Akash Deep will now travel to Wellington to join the senior Indian squadThe team is expected to have six training sessions before the first Test, provided the weather remains favourable.
There were still positives for India A from the seriesJaiswal scored back-to-back centuries, while Padikkal strengthened his position at No3 after scoring 199 in the opening unofficial TestSudharsan also impressed with a few half-centuries.
Akash Deep’s return to action after a lengthy injury lay-off was another positiveHis performance could give head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill another option to consider for the Test XI.
India vs New Zealand Test series schedule
1st Test: 19 to 23 November at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
2nd Test: 27 November to 1 December at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
