Sam Konstas Leads Australia A to Series Victory with Match-Winning 73 Against India A

Australia A celebrated a fantastic 2-0 series victory against India A, thanks to a superlative unbeaten 73 by young opener Sam Konstas, at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second unofficial Test on the final day. The 19-year-old’s sedate but composed knock helped his side accomplish a tough sixth-wicket victory against India A, building an excellent fourth-innings chase and clinching the memories of this wonderful series for themselves.

Australia A’s Challenging Chase

Australia A was caught on the back foot early in their chase while chasing 168 to win. India A’s fast bowler Prasidh Krishna set the tone for the game with two successive dismissals of both Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft for ducks in the first over, leaving Australia A reeling at 0 for 2, with further inroads for the visitors seeming a possibility.

There were no early breakthroughs for that. As Nathan McSweeney (25) and Ollie Davies (21) came falling cheaply, Australia A struggled to 73 for 4 at a precarious juncture. The chase seemed to slip out of their hands, even as the pressure mounted on the rest to reply.

Sam Konstas Steers Australia A to Victory

With the game hanging in the balance, young Sam Konstas walked in at No. 4 and accepted the challenge of rebuilding the innings. His composed knock featured solid defense early on and intelligent shot selection as the target came closer. Konstas formed a match-winning 96-run partnership with Beau Webster, who chipped in with a valuable 46 not out.

The pressure seemed to be absorbed well by Konstas, who came off a relatively good defense to loose balls towards the end. With controlled aggression, Konstas allowed Australia A to settle down and look at chasing the game with confidence. The partnership opened up, and the target started to look like a possibility as both Konstas and Webster found the boundary a few times.

The pair hit 13 boundaries in a little over an hour to the stage where the umpires were virtually forced to give Australia A an extra half-hour of play on the third day themselves to seal the victory.

India A’s Fightback

India A had made a competitive declaration first, led by the major contribution of Dhruv Jurel, who scored a mighty half-century in the second innings, and Prasidh Krishna, who added a useful 29 runs in the lower order. With all this and more help from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tanush Kotian India A mounted an impressive total against Australia A.

However, India A was not able to carry the momentum into their final innings as their bowlers’ pressure could not be maintained. Krishna’s early breakthroughs were well complemented by a tight spell from Mukesh Kumar, who sent McSweeney back with a delivery that straightened considerably off the wicket. But Konstas was resiliently batting well, while Webster showed his support to keep the nerves going for Australia A.

A Glimpse of Future Prospects

While Australia A’s victory was driven by the excellent batting of Konstas and Webster, the match also posed questions for both teams. India A will take positives out of the bowling of Prasidh Krishna and the batting of Dhruv Jurel, both of whom are still developing and can well feature in the Indian Test squad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

However, the problems of the established players of Australia A in the form of Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft, who have had a bad series altogether, will still be there. With just 29 runs combined in eight innings this season, they will raise the question of their place in the team for the Test series.

Conclusion 

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FAQ

Q. What was Sam Konstas’s contribution for his team during the second unofficial Test that sealed the match?

A. Sam Konstas made an unbeaten 73 as Australia A hunted down a six-wicket win over India A in the second unofficial Test to seal a 2-0 series victory

Q. How did Australia A start its chase?

A. The chase by Australia A started poorly after Prasidh Krishna dismissed Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft for ducks in successive balls of the first over, leaving them at 0 for 2.

Q. What were the major scores for Australia A in the chase?

A. The major contributors for the chase were Sam Konstas and Beau Webster who scored an unbeaten 73 and 46 not out.

Q. What were the positives of India A in this game?

A. Major positives for India A were Dhruv Jurel’s innings of half-century and three wickets by Prasidh Krishna in Australia A’s run chase. His skills were impressive.

Q. How to get live cricket updates?

A. You can watch free live cricket at the newly identified platforms such as “winexch” known to many as the godfather of cricket and offers an all-rounded coverage of cricket matches and tournaments.