It wasn’t the best of days for India on the field with Prithvi Shaw’s injury marring the third day’s play in the four-day warm-up clash against Cricket Australia XI at Sydney.
Shaw suffered an ankle injury as India’s bowlers were made to toil by the hosts at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After India had posted 358 in their first innings, Cricket Australia XI’s batsmen responded strongly with the bat and were placed at 365-6 when stumps were drawn on Friday.
CA XI openers D’Arcy Short (74) and Max Bryant (62) put on a 114-run stand for the opening wicket before the latter became the first wicket to fall on day three with Mohammed Shami bagging the scalp.
Handy contributions from Jake Carder (38) and skipper Sam Whiteman (35) propelled the hosts’ innings further before India’s bowlers hit back with a flurry of wicket. From 213-1, CA XI were reduced to 234-6 by the visitors with Shami picking up two more wickets.
However, wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen and Aaron Hardie then made Virat Kohli’s men endure a frustrating final session with an unbroken 122-run stand. Both the batsmen registered their respective half-centuries as the hosts ended the day strongly and just two runs behind India’s first innings total.
Harry Nielsen was unbeaten on 56 for the hosts.
While Shami returned with figures of 3-67, the rest of Indian bowling card had a frustrating day on the field with Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja going wicketless.
Meanwhile, the BCCI later confirmed in a statement that Shaw’s ankle injury will rule him out of the first Test against Australia which gets underway at the Adelaide Oval on December 6.
BRIEF SCORES
India first innings: 358
Cricket Australia XI first innings: 356-6
D’Arcy Short – 74 (91)
Aaron Hardie – 69no (121)
Mohammed Shami: 3-67 (18 overs)
