India A Bowled Out for 113 as KL Rahul Falls for a Duck

India A were bowled out for 113 in their first innings on Saturday, October 24, in the opening match of a three-game unofficial Test series against New Zealand A. The game started at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, and the hosts’ fast bowlers did the damage. All ten India A wickets fell to pacers.

The batting collapsed quickly. The innings ended before two sessions of play had been completed. For a side with some of the most recognised names in Indian domestic and national cricket, it was a dismal start.

New Zealand A won the toss and chose to bowl first. The early blow came from Fraser Sheet, who removed KL Rahul for zero. The top order never recovered its footing after that.

Rahul and Jaiswal Could Not Settle

Cricket fans have been asking one question since the scorecard went up: why did two of India’s biggest names fail so badly? The match reports available do not offer a technical breakdown of their dismissals. What they do record is the outcome. Rahul was out for zero. Yashasvi Jaiswal managed 17 before Jack Gibson broke a partnership with Devdutt Padikkal, who made 32.

Once Jaiswal and Padikkal were gone, the innings lost any shape it had. Simon Keene, using his swing and a precise line and length, put the India A order under constant pressure. Batters could not build partnerships. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

A Grass Pitch and a Hostile New Zealand Attack

The surface mattered. The report describes a grass-covered pitch on which the home fast bowlers gave the Indian batters no room to play freely. That kind of pitch rewards discipline and punishes any loose stroke, and India A could not find a way to stop the bleeding.

Keene’s five wickets were the centrepiece. Jack Gibson added three. Christian Clarke and Fraser Sheet took one wicket each. Every one of India A’s ten dismissals went to a seam or pace bowler, which tells the story of the session better than any single delivery could.

Yash Rathod Stands Alone

Wickets were falling at one end, but Yash Rathod kept scoring at the other. He played aggressively and took the total past 100. Rathod finished unbeaten on 44 off 49 balls, hitting three sixes and three fours.

He also added 32 runs for the final wicket with Mukesh Choudhary. It was the most valuable partnership of the innings. Still, it was not enough to lift India A to a competitive total. Rathod’s effort kept the innings from collapsing completely, but it could not change the result of the day.

Five Batters Without a Run

Five India A batters walked back without opening their account. KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Choudhary and Akash Deep were all dismissed without scoring. Captain Dhruv Jurel made just one run, and the pressure on the middle order was impossible to escape.

New Zealand A, by contrast, controlled the match from the first over. The hosts used their pace attack with purpose and kept the scoreboard ticking away from the visitors.

The Official Word on the Match

The BCCI posted the toss news on social media, and its message captured the start of the contest:

New Zealand A have elected to bowl against India A in the first four-day game of the series!

That decision proved decisive on day one. The bowling choice put India A in a difficult position from the outset, and the batting line-up could not respond.

The Two Teams on the Field

India A’s playing XI was Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (captain and wicketkeeper), Yash Rathod, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Aqib Nabi, Akash Deep and Mukesh Choudhary.

New Zealand A fielded Rees Mariu (captain), Curtis Heffy, Tim Robinson, Matthew Boyle, Dean Foxcroft, Mitchell Hay (wicketkeeper), Simon Keene, Christian Clarke, Fraser Sheet, Jaden Lenox and Jack Gibson.

What Happens Next

This is only the first of three matches in the unofficial Test series. India A now face the task of reversing a poor opening day, and the batting order will be under scrutiny. The questions over Rahul and Jaiswal will not go away until they produce answers on the field.

For Indian fans, the opening day offered more concern than comfort. A side bowled out for 113 with five ducks on the board has a lot of work to do. The next sessions will show whether the failures were a one-off or a warning sign.