Rajat Patidar
PUDUCHERRY: The short ball continued to haunt India ‘A’, with their batting unit suffering another disappointing collapse as Australia ‘A’ registered a commanding 69-run victory in the second unofficial ODI here on Friday to clinch the series 2-0. Chasing 276, India ‘A’ folded for 206, once again failing to negotiate Australia’s relentless barrage of back-of-a-length deliveries. After being bundled out for 149 in the opening game, the hosts showed little improvement, with Rajat Patidar’s fighting half-century proving a lone bright spot amid the wreckage. Patidar, who scored a fifty in the previous match too, fell for 67 off 82 balls, pulling Spencer Johnson into the deep after reaching his half-century off 67 deliveries. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Johnson spearheaded Australia’s attack with 3-35, while Ben Dwarshuis (2-31) and Tanveer Sangha (2-42) offered able support. After opting to bat, Australia ‘A’ made a brisk start, with Mitchell Owen launching Arshad Khan (3-56) for two sixes to plunder 17 runs in the opening over. Owen’s promising cameo ended at 25, but Josh Philippe (58) and Sam Konstas (67), who registered his maiden List A half-century, stitched together a 101-run stand for the second wicket. SCORES: Australia ‘A’ 275 in 49.5 overs (S Konstas 67, J Philippe 58; A Khan 3-56, Y Thakur 2-46) beat India ‘A’ 206 in 45.2 overs (R Patidar 67; S Johnson 3-35, R Meredith 2-31, T Sangha 2-42) by 69 runs. Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
There were plenty of short and back-of-the-length deliveries, which worked well for us,” Johnson said. “We wanted to carry forward the aggression Mahli Beardman showed in the previous game. The conditions were in our favour with the ball, and we found the right length. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.