Australia A’s opening batting woes continued on the first day of their four-day match against India A in Mackay, with Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft, and Marcus Harris all failing to make a significant impact. Konstas and Bancroft were dismissed for ducks, while Harris reached 14 before being caught behind.
Nathan McSweeney, batting at No. 4, provided some stability with a solid 29 off 110 balls, further fueling speculation that he could be the solution to Australia’s top-order problems.
India A, after being inserted by McSweeney, were bowled out for 107, thanks to a career-best 6 for 15 from South Australia quick Brendan Doggett. Doggett, who was only in the side as a second reserve, troubled the batters with his full length and accuracy.
India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was brilliantly caught down the leg side first ball by Josh Philippe, while Jordan Buckingham removed Abhimanyu Easwaran with a lovely delivery. Sai Sudharsan made a promising start before edging behind against Doggett, who then went on to dismiss Ishan Kishan, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar, and Prasidh Krishna.
Navdeep Saini (23) managed to lift the total into three figures, but India A were ultimately bowled out for a below-par score.
Australia A will resume their innings on day two, trailing by eight runs. The match is being played as a warm-up for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between Australia and India.
