K L Rahul's horror run continues as India A suffer another top-order collapse

Melbourne: K L Rahul's horror run with the bat continued as he got out in a bizarre fashion to leave India A at a shaky 73 for five on the second day of the second unofficial Test against Australia A on Friday.

Seeking to open the batting for India in case skipper Rohit Sharma skips the first Test against Australia in Perth, Rahul endured a disastrous outing in the tune-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and managed just 14 runs across two innings, having got out for 10 in India A's second innings.

Abhimanyu Easwaran's struggles against the moving ball also did not help India A's cause as they led by only 11 runs with half the side back in the dressing room in their second innings.

After bowling out India A for 161 on the opening day, Australia A managed 223, not a total the home team had hoped for, but it still gave them a substantial first-innings lead of 62 runs.

Coming out to bat for the second time in the game, the Indian top-order disappointed again as the Australian bowlers struck some vital blows to help their team inch closer to a series sweep.

Australia A won the opening match by seven wickets.

Looking completely out of sorts, Rahul was bowled in a bizarre fashion after facing 44 balls at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Rahul misjudged a tossed up delivery and offered no shot as the ball ricocheted off his pads to hit the stumps, leaving the batter embarrassed while he walked back to the dressing room.

Getting bowled between the legs has compounded his woes ahead of the blockbuster series.

Abhimanyu, who was picked as a backup opener for the upcoming five-match rubber Down Under, also failed to deliver, following his first-innings duck with a 17 from 31 balls.

The Indian top-order struggled against quality spin and pace, leaving them at 56/5 early in the second innings.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (19 batting) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (9 batting) ensured there was no further setback by negotiating the remaining overs before the stumps were drawn for the day.

Earlier, India A's pace attack, spearheaded by Prasidh Krishna's four-wicket burst and Mukesh Kumar's three-wicket haul, dominated the Australian batting, dismissing them for 223 in 62.1 overs.

Marcus Harris was the standout batter for Australia A, scoring a gritty 74 off 138 balls, while lower-order batter Rocchiccioli provided late fireworks, hitting 35 off 28 balls, including two sixes and three fours.

In response, India A lost openers Abhimanyu and Sai Sudharsan cheaply to disciplined bowling from Nathan McAndrew and Beau Webster.

Abhimanyu's misreading of McAndrew's pace led to his dismissal at gully, adding to the team's concerns.

Devdutt Padikkal (1) also fell cheaply, as both Webster (2/14) and McAndrew (2/22) tore through India's batting lineup.

However, Jurel and Reddy then held firm.

Resuming the day on 53/2, Harris translated his overnight score of 26 into a well-constructed innings, showing resilience against a sharp Indian pace attack.

Brief Scores: India A 161 and 73/5 in 31 overs (Dhruv Jurel 19 batting; Nathan McAndrew 2/22, Beau Webster 2/14).

Australia A 1st innings: 223 all out in 62.1 (Marcus Harris 74; Prasidh Krishna 4/50, Mukesh Kumar 3/41, Khaleel Ahmed 2/56).