Puducherry, September 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper struck an impressive unbeaten century to help Australia A recover from a precarious position and reach 282/7 on the opening day of the second and final four-day match against India A at the Siechem Stadium in Puducherry on Tuesday.
Making his Australia A debut, the Victoria regular scored an unbeaten 101 off 153 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes. His sixth first-class century helped the visitors recover from 104/5 after they elected to bat first.
Harper built two crucial partnerships, adding 84 runs for the sixth wicket with Liam Scott, who scored 34, and 89 for the seventh wicket with Todd Murphy, who contributed 33.
Australia A had struggled to capitalise on winning the toss, with India A’s debutant medium pacer Nachiket Bhute making early inroads. Bhute dismissed opener Josh Philippe for five and captain Peter Handscomb for a duck in the first hour, while left-arm spinner Shams Mulani removed Sam Konstas for two, leaving Australia A at 67/3 at lunch.
Mulani, who claimed seven wickets in the opening match, continued to trouble the visitors in the second session. He dismissed Jason Sangha for 46 and Nathan McSweeney for 34 in successive overs after the pair had shared an 81-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
However, Harper steadied the innings with a composed display, using his footwork effectively to negotiate both the conditions and the India A bowling attack. He reached his century with a streaky boundary off pacer Tushar Deshpande while facing the second new ball.
Bhute finished with figures of 3/35, while Mulani claimed 3/77.
India A had won the opening four-day match by 162 runs after scoring 334 in their first innings, having also elected to bat first.
Brief Scores: Australia A 282/7 in 87 overs (Sam Harper 101 not out, Jason Sangha 46; Nachiket Bhute 3/35, Shams Mulani 3/77) against India A.
FOLLOW NOW
