Bharat’s century puts India A in command versus Aus A

Srikar Bharat’s century and Kuldeep Yadav’s 52 put India A on top against Australia A in the second unofficial ‘Test’ at Alur on Monday. At stumps on Day 3, Australia A were 38/2 in their second innings, still trailing India A by 121 runs. Earlier, the visitors had scored 346 in their first innings.

Alastair Cook signed off with a magnificent century in his final Test, finishing the way he started his career against India 12 years ago, in the final Test at The Oval on Monday as fans and opposition rose as one to salute the retiring England batting great.

The opening batsman became only the fifth to achieve the feat of scoring hundreds in his first and last Tests, and skipper Joe Root weighed in with a strokeful century, his 14th, to push the hosts towards a winning position in their bid to complete a 4-1 series triumph.

England were 295/2 with Cook on 134 and Root 112, with the lead 335 runs.

Cook began the day on 46 and breezed to his century before lunch, getting it rather easily when his tuck to square leg to go to 97 got him to 101 instead after Jasprit Bumrah’s eager throw beat everyone and went to the boundary.

Cook will finish as the fifthmost prolific Test batsman after finding rhythm to his batting that has been missing for all of 2018 and which hastened his decision to retire aged only 33. Root, frustrated by India’s sharp bowling attack in the series, batting positively as both scored freely.

While England celebrated, India were left to rue two dropped catches off Root, with their bowlers looking absolutely flat at the end of an exhausting series that has brought them little reward due to batting failures.

India skipper Virat Kohli lost the services of Ishant Sharma after one over in the morning after the tall bowler suffered a left-ankle strain. Bumrah’s tactics of bowling short-pitched stuff didn’t pay dividends on a flat pitch. Ravindra Jadeja, at the other end, either pitched short to allow the batsmen to cash in or wide to be hit on either side.

Ajinkya Rahana and Cheteshwar Pujara failed to catch Root on 46 and 94 as the match seemed to get away from India.

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