India A vs New Zealand A: Visitors left with uphill task to save first 'Test' after hosts pile up mammoth first innings total on third day

Christchurch: India A were left with an arduous task of saving the first unofficial Test after New Zealand A notched up a mammoth 562 in their first innings on Saturday. Responding to India A’s first innings total of 216, the hosts declared shortly after losing their seventh wicket on the third and penultimate day at the Hagley Oval. In their second essay, the visitors were 127 for two when bad light ended play four overs early, having reduced the deficit to 219 runs. [caption id=“attachment_7987941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dane Cleaver pulls one during his innings of 196. Getty[/caption] At the close of play, Priyank Panchal and Shubman Gill were batting on 67 and 33, respectively. Starting the day on a comfortably-placed 385 for five, overnight batsmen Dane Cleaver and Mark Chapman consolidate their team’s position with a 268-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Batting on 111 overnight, Cleaver went on to make 196 off 344 balls, while Chapman, who started the day 15 short of century, made 114 off 245 deliveries. Wicketkeeper Cleaver hit 20 boundaries and a six while spending 482 minutes at the crease, while Chapman found the fence 11 times in his 377-minute stay in the middle. Batting at number eight, Cole McConchie made an unbeaten 50 off 74 balls while adding 114 runs for the seventh wicket with Cleaver, propping up their team’s total. The Indian bowlers toiled hard with Ishan Porel and Sandeep Warrier getting two apiece. When they came to bat for the second time in the game, the visitors again lost their prolific opener Mayank Agarwal for nought, in the very first over. Abhimanyu Easwaran fell for 26 to leave India A at 59 for two. Brief Score: India A: 216 and 127/2 in 37 overs (Priyank Panchal 67 batting, Shubman Gill 33 batting) New Zealand A: 562 for 7 in 160.3 overs (Dane Cleaver 196, Mark Chapman 114; S Sandeep Warrier 2/91, Ishan Porel 2/90).