Adelaide, Australia: India’s batsmen gained valuable match practice as their two-day tour match against a Cricket Australia XI ended in a draw in Adelaide on Friday.
The tourists compiled 375 off 90 overs with stand-in captain Virat Kohli (66), Murali Vijay (60), Ajinkya Rahane (56) and Wriddhiman Saha (51) all scoring half-centuries.
The local selection finished the match at 83 for five off 21 overs with Test paceman Ishant Sharma taking two for eight off five overs in an encouraging lead in to Tuesday’s opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
Vijay and Kohli both retired before lunch after reaching their half-centuries and to enable some of the other batsmen to get valuable batting practice ahead of the opening Test.
The CA XI were made to pay for dropping Kohli on Thursday’s opening day, when the stand-in skipper edged his first delivery to Ashton Turner at the first slip.
Vijay and Kohli shared a 123-run stand, steadying India’s innings after the tourists slumped to 36 for two on the opening day.
In the corresponding fixture at the same venue last week, the opener and No. 4 batsman also looked a class above most of their teammates.
Tasmania paceman Evan Gulbis tested the duo with a series of short-pitched deliveries.
Vijay wore one bouncer on the body that flicked up and hit the helmet, but composed himself quickly.
Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav shared the new ball in CA XI’s second innings with Aaron following up his first innings haul of four for 41 with one for 28 off six overs, while Yadav claimed one for 30 off five overs.
“Players will probably be talking about what they saw and did, which will be passed onto other (Test) players,” CA XI coach Troy Cooley said.
“It’s a great little network of information being transferred. We’ll make sure the most up to date information is given to our big brother.”
Assistant coach Ali de Winter attended India’s tour game last week, when express paceman Aaron sent down some impressive spells.
“He’s got some notes for Boof (Test coach Darren Lehmann) to take away,” Cooley said.
“There’s plenty of information for the boys, obviously India’s series in England earlier this year.
“We’ll just top it up with a little bit of stuff from there.”
Injured India captain MS Dhoni was expected to join the tourists on Saturday.
An India spokesperson said it was too early to say what Dhoni’s chances of playing the first Test are, but the wicketkeeper is expected to miss the game as he recovers from a wrist injury.
India have won just three and lost 14 of their 23 Tests away from the subcontinent in the last four years, enduring 4-0 routs in England and Australia in 2011 and a 3-1 drubbing in England earlier this year.
The series opener in Adelaide will be followed by Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
