KL Rahul’s bid to regain a spot after his selection in the India A team before the Australia Tests got off to a less than ideal start as he could score only 4 runs in the first innings of the unofficial 2nd Test against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Rahul opened for India A, and he managed only one boundary from the four deliveries he faced as pacer Scott Boland – who is also a member of the Australia squad for the tour that begins from November 22 – knocked him over.

Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, also a member of India’s Test squad, shared Rahul’s misery as he fell for a duck after facing only three balls. Tipped as a likely replacement for Rohit Sharma if the India skipper misses the first Test in Perth, Easwaran was one of four wickets taken by Michael Neser in a dominant first session.

Dhruv Jurel played an incredible knock of 80 runs, he steadied India A’s innings and helped reach a total of 161. Following which fans opined that Dhruv Jurel should be given a chance to play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he maturely took the charge and handled the situation perfectly under pressure.

India A, sent in to bat first, suffered another dramatic collapse on Thursday morning as Australia’s revved-up bowling attack, led by Test veterans Michael Neser and Scott Boland, tore through their lineup. Indian batters were bowled over one by one, losing their top four within just 16 balls, as the Kookaburra ball swung and seamed on a lively pitch. It was a repeat of the very same situation, when during the previous game of four days in Mackay, India A, batting first, could not muster past 32/3, and thus lost by seven wickets.