India 'A' were in absolute command after the second day of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand 'A' here yesterday. After scoring a mammoth 554 with Mandeep Singh (193) and Ashok Menaria (173) smashing big centuries, the hosts were reduced to 198 for five at close on Day Two
Medium-pacers R Vinay Kumar and Bhuvneswar Kumar took a couple of wickets each to leave the hosts trailing by 356 runs at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.
Vinay Kumar, who excelled with bat and ball
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Starting the day on 433 for four, both Mandeep and Menaria missed out on double centuries and the visitors declared their innings at 554 for eight. Mandeep and Menaria shared a 318-run fifth wicket partnership in 62.2 overs.
Mandeep smashed 24 boundaries and a six during his 281-ball innings that lasted for 423 minutes while Menaria was more aggressive. He hit 21 fours and two sixes during his 270-minute stay in the middle.
After them, it was Vinay Kumar’s turn to push the Kiwis on the mat. The pacer hit 41-ball 50 laced with five fours and three sixes.The Indian bowlers did well to keep the New Zealanders in check. Barring Hamish Rutherford, who was run out for 99, they failed to put up a resistance. India ‘A’ now have a chance to force a result with two days still to go.
Brief scores: India ‘A’ 554-8 dec (Mandeep Singh 193, Ashok Menaria 173, R Vinay Kumar 50; B Arnel 3-94) vs New Zealand ‘A’ 198-5 (Vinay Kumar 2-36, Bhuvneswar Kumar 2-57)u00a0
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