KL Rahul falters on return, Easwaran & Sudharsan fall for ducks as India A collapse against Australia A

India A’s experiment of sending KL Rahul back to the top order backfired as he was dismissed for just four runs in the four-day match against Australia A at the MCG in Melbourne on Thursday. Rahul, the only player in the India A XI with prior MCG experience, faced an early dismissal by pacer Scott Boland in the second over of the match.

India A’s batting collapsed spectacularly after being sent in to bat. Australia A’s pacers, Michael Neser and Scott Boland, capitalized on the lively pitch, sending the visitors reeling. Neser struck twice in the opening over, removing Abhimanyu Easwaran (0 off 3 balls) and Sai Sudharsan (0 off 1 ball) off successive deliveries. Rahul briefly got off the mark with a boundary but fell soon after, dismissed by Boland. Neser then dismissed India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for four, leaving the visitors at a dire 11/4 by the third over.

This collapse follows a similar poor performance in their previous match, raising concerns for India’s Test team management. With doubts surrounding Rohit Sharma’s availability for the first Test due to personal reasons, the opening slot becomes a matter of urgent focus. If Rohit misses the match, the team will need to find a new opening partner for Yashasvi Jaiswal, especially given Rahul’s disappointing return to the top of the order.

Rahul, who has not opened for India since February last year, had previously established himself as a successful middle-order batter. He impressed with a century at No.6 against South Africa, becoming the first overseas player to score multiple Test centuries at Centurion. His recent middle-order success in home series against England and Bangladesh further solidified his place. However, with Rohit uncertain for the first Test, Rahul joined the India A squad early for match practice as an opener.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, also part of India’s Test squad, played a vital role in rescuing India A from total collapse. His composed 80 off 186 balls helped India A post a somewhat respectable total of 161. Despite the early setbacks, Jurel’s resilience against the Australian quicks stood out, offering a glimmer of hope for India A’s future performances.