Australia A 243 (Khawaja 127, Labuschagne 60, Siraj 8-59) and 292 (Head 87, Siraj 3-77) triumphed over India A 274 (Bawne 91*, Agarwal 47, Neser 4-61, Holland 3-89) and 163 (Agarwal 80, Holland 6-81) by 98 runs
Bawne’s dismissal would have left a sour taste, especially after his efforts in stabilizing the innings along with Agarwal, as he attempted a sweep and ended up dragging the ball onto his stumps. It was a particularly poor decision, following an elegant drive off the previous ball.
Holland found his rhythm early in the day and grew in confidence after Bawne’s wicket. The drift he displayed was now complemented by significant turn and bounce away from the right-handers, allowing him to capitalize on it with the fielders placed strategically in front of the stumps.
India suffered a setback with the loss of R Samarth, the opener who came in at No. 5, falling to the part-time spin of Travis Head. Wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat departed for a duck, attempting a hook shot, offering a catch to leg gully, and Ok Gowtham fell leg before wicket to Holland after being caught on the front foot. This brief passage before lunch could have been even more disastrous if Brendan Doggett hadn’t overstepped when he claimed Agarwal’s catch behind on the final over of the session.
Amidst a pitch where batsmen found it challenging to settle in, Agarwal made the most of his time. Prior to launching an onslaught as the lower order collapsed, Agarwal refrained from executing front-foot drives, only venturing forward to dispatch an overpitched delivery through extra cover. The majority of his innings saw him playing on the back foot, with controlled shots and a minimalistic approach, unlike his aggressive 47 in the first innings.
However, faced with an impending defeat, Agarwal had to change his approach, much to the delight of the local spectators. Struggling to read the bounce against the seamers, Agarwal decided to take on Holland, finding success in hitting him straight and against the spin. Despite his unsuccessful sweeps and reverse sweeps, Agarwal found a way to prolong his innings without exposing the lower-order batsmen to the strike. In many aspects, it was an exemplary Test innings, surviving everything thrown at him, but shortly after bringing the required runs below 100, Agarwal chipped one back to Holland, who completed his five-wicket haul, further bolstering his case for Australia’s upcoming series against Pakistan.
