The washout has left the four-day fixture heading towards a draw, while denying India A an important opportunity to assess the readiness of key bowling options, including Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Prasidh Krishna.
Bumrah’s return to competitive cricket was one of the major talking points of the match. The fast bowler, who had been away from competitive action since the Asian Games in early October, bowled six overs on the second day, conceding just 11 runs, including a maiden. Although he did not take a wicket, the economical spell offered an encouraging start to his comeback.
Jadeja, another important component of India’s Test plans, had arrived in New Zealand after featuring in two Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra. However, he did not get an opportunity to bowl on the second day, and Monday’s washout further reduced his chances of gaining match practice.
Prasidh Krishna made a promising return after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the second ODI against West Indies on September 30. The right-arm pacer claimed both New Zealand A wickets to fall on the second day, finishing with figures of 2-12 from five overs.
Prasidh had initially been named in India’s squad for the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand but was subsequently withdrawn to feature in the red-ball preparatory fixture.
India’s senior team is scheduled to begin its two-match Test series against New Zealand on November 19. The visitors will now hope to make the most of the remaining time on the final day, particularly to give their returning bowlers further time in the middle.
India A had declared their first innings at 464/5, taking a commanding 428-run lead after New Zealand A reached 36/2 in reply.
Brief Scores: India A 464/5 declared (Yashasvi Jaiswal 102, Sai Sudharsan 88, Tilak Varma 81 not out, Dhruv Jurel 71, Washington Sundar 50 not out; Zak Gibson 2-73) lead New Zealand A 36/2 (Curtis Heaphy 19, Dean Foxcroft 10; Prasidh Krishna 2-12) by 428 runs.
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