Mukesh Kumar's 6-wicket haul revives India A vs Australia A
India A's performance in the ongoing unofficial Test match against Australia A has been disappointing as the team was bundled out for a paltry 107 in their first innings in Mackay. However, fast bowler Mukesh Kumar gave a ray of hope with his brilliant six-wicket haul. Kumar's brilliant display has kept India A in the contest despite Australia's strong start in the match.
Kumar's early strikes put Australia A on back foot
Australia A ended Day 1 at 99/4. Kumar made major contributions by sending Australian opener Sam Konstas back for zero and later taking the wicket of Cameron Bancroft. His last wicket of the day was Beau Webster, keeping Australia A on their toes throughout the match.
Kumar's bowling prowess continues on Day 2
On the second day, Kumar continued his rampage as he dismissed Cooper Connolly. Before getting out, Connolly added 51 runs for the fifth wicket with Nathan McSweeney. The Bengal pacer then took Josh Philippe and Brendan Doggett's wickets as Australia A were bundled out for 195 runs. Despite Kumar's efforts, Australia A had a healthy lead of 88 runs.
A look at his stats
Kumar registered his ninth five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. He also has 12 four-fers to his name. The medium-pacer has now raced to 198 wickets from 49 First-Class games at an average of under 22. His tally also includes a match haul of 10 wickets. Kumar made his Test debut for India in July last year, against the West Indies. He owns seven wickets in three Tests so far.
India A's 2nd innings shows promise
In their second innings, India A lost the early wickets of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal managed to take the score to 159/2, giving India A a lead of 71 runs. Despite the promising start in the second innings, India A still faces a tough challenge against a formidable Australian side.
