India B put up all-round show to effect nine-wicket victory over Australia A, win Quadrangular Series

Bengaluru: India B dominated in all departments of the game, outclassing Australia A by nine wickets to win the Quadrangular series at Bengaluru on Wednesday. The bowlers kept it tight, bowling out Australia A for a below par 225 in 47.5 overs. In reply, they cruised to the target in 36.3 overs with opener Mayank Agarwal (69 off 67 balls), Manish Pandey (73 no off 54 balls) and Shubman Gill (66 no off 84 balls) scoring half-centuries. Agarwal ended the series with 236 runs at an average of 59 along with a century and a half-century. [caption id=“attachment_5073431” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Manish Pandey. Reuters[/caption] With his season getting better and better, Agarwal will certainly be hoping that he gets a call-up for the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Pandey, who had gone through a rough patch for the senior team, was again back in element after a good tournament where his sequence of scores are 95 not out, 21 not out, 117 not out and 73 not out. The India B captain scored 306 runs without being dismissed even once. Sent into bat, Australia A managed 225 all out in 48th over with spinners coming to the party by picking six wickets among themselves with Gopal bagging three wickets, Deepak Hooda and Navdeep Saini also bowled brilliantly. During chase, Agarwal set it up nicely nine boundaries and two sixes, laid the foundation, with Ishan Kishan walking off retired hurt. Gill was caught off a no-ball very early in his innings, but he took advantage of it and made an effortless 66 in 84 balls with six boundaries and one six. Earlier, barring D’Arcy Short and Alex Carey, who notched up fifties, other Australians could not make big contributions. Short scored 72 in 77 balls, which had nine boundaries, while Carey belted 53 in 56 balls, with three boundaries and two sixes. Sent into bat, last match centurion Usman Khawaja (23) and Short gave a good start, but the left-hander fell to Saxena as he gave a thick top-edge catch to wicket-keeper Kishan, when the total was 51. Head left the scene soon as he failed to open an account after Gill latched on to the leading edge off Saini, who has been the best pacer on show for Indians. Both Short and Marnus Labuschagne (17) put on a fifty-run partnership for third wicket, taking the total from 56 for 2 to 106 for 3. Marnus was trapped LBW by Gopal, who bagged his first wicket. After adding 42 runs for fourth wicket with Carey, Short lost his wicket to Hooda after he invited him to play an aerial shot at extra cover to Pandey, who took a sitter. Ashtor Agar (20 off 32 balls) left the scene after pushed one straight into the hands off Hooda, who bent forward to accept it of his own bowling. After Agar’s departure, the last five wickets fell as pack of cards, as they could manage only 33 runs, before Kaul and Saini rattled the lower order with Gopal picking up one late wicket.