India A team have managed an easy win in the four-day game against New Zealand A at Vijayawada. The hosts cruised to an impressive innings and 31 run victory over their counterparts as the visitors had no answers to spin duo Shahbaz Nadeem and Karn Sharma.
Having won the toss and opting to bat first, New Zealand A had got a solid start before spinners came into the attack. George Worker and Jeet Raval put on an unbroken 72 run partnership before Nadeem and Karn took charge of the innings.
The duo picked wickets in tandem and restricted New Zealand to a paltry 147. Nadeem and Karn picked up four wickets each in the first innings while Hyderabadi pace sensation Mohammed Siraj impressed with two wickets.
India A batsmen then managed to make the most of the wicket in their first innings as opener Ravikumar Samarth impressed with a well made fifty. Shreyas Iyer managed to score another hundred as he continues to impress and Rishabh Pant played a quick fire 67 runs off just 41 balls with nine fours and two sixes.
New Zealand A bowler Ish Sodhi was the pick of the bowlers as he managed a fifer while Todd Astle chipped in with a couple of wickets. Having to overcome a deficit of 173 runs in their second innings, New Zealand A batsmen once again succumbed to the pressure and threw their wickets in a flurry.
On the back of a decent 41 run opening stand, New Zealand A had managed to only score 142 runs in their second innings and lost the game by a significant margin. Indian spinners Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem once again managed to replicate their first innings figures as the duo shared four wickets each.
New Zealand A will now face India A in a second unofficial Test at the same venue from September 30 before clashing in an ODI series at Visakhapatnam.