If there were any doubts about the condition of India’s Test specialists before the Australia tour then they all got erased as Prithvi Shaw, Murali Vijay, Hanuma Vihari all hit half-centuries on the final day of the first Unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A at Mount Maunganui.
Though the four-day affair ended in a tame draw the biggest takeaway for India was the form of their batsmen, Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in particular. Short of runs for quite some time now, Rahane made a solid 41 not out of 94 balls, adding 86 undefeated runs with Hanuma Vihari, who scored his second half-century of the match as India A ended with 247 for 3 in 65 overs in their second innings.
On the final day with little chance of a result, the two seniors Vijay and Rahane, who were the only ones to miss out on a significant score in India A’s first innings put their heads down and showed a lot of application.
Vijay added 74 runs for the first wicket with Shaw, largely due to the contribution of the young Mumbaikar, who hit eight fours and a six.
Young Shaw didn't last long as he was out soon after completing his second century of the match. Shaw(50) was caught by Will Young off Doug Bracewell's delivery.
In-form Mayank Agarwal (42) then joined Vijay and the duo added 81 runs for the second wicket with Agarwal being the aggressor. The Karnataka right-hander hit six boundaries and a six.
Blair Tickner got rid of Agarwal, breaching through the defence, and Vijay soon followed, offering a catch to Theo van Woerkom.
Rahane and Vihari then batted out the next 25 overs with minimum fuss. Vihari, in fact, was comparatively more aggressive with three fours and three sixes in only 63 balls as the match meandered towards a draw.
Brief Scores: India A 467/8 decl and 247/3 (Murali Vijay 60, Prithvi Shaw 50, Hanuma Vihati 51 no, Ajinkya Rahane 41 no, Mayank Agarwal 42).
New Zealand A 458/9.