RAHUL, PUJARA SHINE BEFORE AUSTRALIANS FIGHT BACK

CHENNAI: Opener Lokesh Rahul missed out on a hundred while captain Cheteshwar Pujara struck a solid fifty to take India A to 221 for six on a rain-affected day one of the first ‘unofficial’ cricket Test against Australia A, here.

Rahul (96 off 185 balls) and Pujara (55 off 122) held the innings together before the touring Australians fought back on day when 77.1 overs were bowled due to rain towards the end of day’s play.

Young Shreyas Iyer was another batsman who contributed 39 off 58 balls.

Andrew Fekete and Steve O’ Keefe took wickets each for the visitors.

Rahul, playing his first competitive match after missing out on the one-off Test in Bangladesh due to dengue, was cautious from the beginning after his team opted to bat.

The Karnataka batsman played well but missed out on a century by giving a simple catch at mid-on to Usman Khawaja off pacer Sean Abbott. His gritty knock saw him hit 14 boundaries besides sharing a crucial 107-run stand with skipper Pujara.

Pujara, who is leading the A side, spent substantial time at the crease, collecting seven fours in the process.