Youngsters shine as India A sweep New Zealand A clean

Another cracker of a contest at Chennai met its due conclusion as India A steamrolled the visiting Blackcaps comfortably, thanks to a brilliant display from youngster, Raj Bawa who conjured almost incredulous figures to knock out New Zealand as the Men in Blue completed a reverberating clean sweep.

India opted to bat first in the final contest at Chennai as Abhimanyu Easwaran and Rahul Tripathi flew off to a blinder to amass a string of early runs for the hosts. Despite a strong start, Easwaran and Tripathi both departed in quick succession paving the path for the skipper and a young Tilak Varma to grab the center stage.

Despite a strong partnership between Samson and Varma, things got a bit dizzy in the middle with a flurry of quick wickets as India was suddenly teetering at 206 for the loss of 6. While the recognized batters struggled to get the all-important runs, two unlikely monikers in Rishi Dhawan and Shardul Thakur came to the deliverance of the hosts, propelling them to a well-fought 284.

New Zealand had a fine start to their innings as Chad Bowes provided decent support to Dane Cleaver’s outrageous start but once the openers fell, it was too easy for the Indian bowlers to cut the visitors short. After the early infringements from Rishi Dhawan and Rahul Chahar, Raj Bawa chimed in with his medium pace that left the Kiwis struggling.

Unable to crack Bawa in his magic-weaving stride, New Zealand resigned in docile submission as they were skittled out for a paltry 178 with the World Cup-winning U19 all-rounder making all the right noises for the Men in Blue. It was an emphatic finish to the series for the hosts as they swept the touring Blackcaps clean off their feet.

This tournament also provided a much-needed testing platform for youngsters and tested campaigners alike, ahead of Team India’s stride post the T20 World Cup phase. RCB middle-order batter, Rajat Patidar hammered a significant knock in the tournament opener to prove his mettle and extend his good form to another tournament.