BENGALURU: In the last one year or so, if someone has shown a lot of promise as a batsman in the domestic circuit, it is Mayank Agarwal. The Karnataka opener has been in supreme touch since the last Ranji Trophy, but a callup to the national team has not come so far. Instead, he is being tested with the India A team under the watchful eyes of coach Rahul Dravid. On Wednesday, on a slow, uneven Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket, he fought his way to a valiant 80-run knock, even as his team kept on losing wickets. But at the end, his solo effort was not enough. India A lost to Australia A by 98 runs in the first of their two four-day Tests.
Mayank and Ankit Bawne (25) stitched together a 73-run stand in their chase of 262. Once Bawne was bowled by Jon Holland — who took 6/81 — India A, just like their first innings, kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Mayank kept the scoreboard moving, but the seven batsmen below Bawne made a combined contribution of 18. Dravid wasn’t happy with his team’s batting, but he insisted that it was a good learning curve for the players. “We could have batted better in both innings. Unfortunately, we did not get a hundred. Australia A have experienced players.
I would say that this was a good learning experience for the boys.” While batting was not easy on this track, India A’s batsmen didn’t show grit. Poor shot-selection cost them their wickets. That was especially true for a set Easwaran, who lost his while trying to sweep Holland from way outside off-stump. “It was never an easy wicket to bat on. You have to be patient here and not play across the line. You need to rotate the strike once you are set,” Dravid said. “Usman (Khawaja) and Travis (Head) for Australia A, and Ankit and Mayank for us showed how to get runs here. Unfortunately, the rest couldn’t follow. But it was a good challenge for many of our players.”
Dravid, however, was happy with the bowlers’ efforts, and especially with Mohammed Siraj, who bagged eight wickets for 59 runs in the first innings. “I think we bowled really well. Siraj’s effort, in particular, was exceptional. Restricting them to 240 or so was not easy. What he is doing is working for him. He is bowling in the right areas, and he is getting that extra zip and pace off the wicket. At a time like this, when one’s confidence is up, it’s not wise to tinker too much.” krishnendu@newindianexpress.com Brief scores: Australia A 243 & 292 bt India A 274 & 163 in 59.3 ovs (Agarwal 80, Bawne 25; Holland 6/81).