India A beat Australia A by 162 runs in first unofficial Test, Kushagra man of the match

India A, led by Devdutt Padikkal, beat Australia A by a huge margin of 162 runs in the first unofficial Test. With this win, India have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Set a target of 363 on the fourth day, Australia were bowled out for just 200. India put in a strong performance with both bat and ball. Kumar Kushagra and Padikkal starred with the bat, while the bowling of Anshul Kamboj, Tushar Deshpande, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian played a big part in India's win. Kushagra was named player of the match for his outstanding performance.

India won the toss and chose to bat first, putting up a massive score of 334 in the first innings. Kumar Kushagra scored a brilliant century of 113, while Sai Sudharsan made 57. Tanush Kotian added 69 and Anshul Kamboj chipped in with 23. In reply, Australia's first innings folded for 171, giving India a lead of 163 runs.

India then batted well in the second innings, scoring 199 runs to extend their lead to 362. Captain Devdutt Padikkal made 59 in the second innings, while Kumar Kushagra remained unbeaten on 46. Chasing a target of 363, Australia failed again in their second innings and were bowled out for just 200. No Australian batter reached a half-century, with Fergus O'Neill top-scoring for the side with 47 off 52 balls in the second innings. India won the match by 162 runs.

Australia were set a target of 363 to win but were dismissed for just 200 in the face of India's strong bowling. In the second innings, Tushar Deshpande and Shams Mulani bowled superbly to take three wickets each, while Anshul Kamboj and Tanush Kotian took two wickets apiece. In the first innings, Shams Mulani was the standout bowler for India, taking 4 wickets. He finished with 7 wickets in the match across both innings. Tushar and Tanush also took two wickets each in the first innings, while Anshul and Prafull Hinge took one wicket each.

The second match of the series will be played in Puducherry on September 29. This will be followed by a three-match ODI series starting October 6.