Since the retirement of veteran Aussie opening batsman David Warner, Australia has been on the hunt for another player in the role. It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a heavyweight batter like Warner, who left an immense legacy behind him.
Steve Smith, who took the opening spot, has claimed to be back in his usual position of no. 4 in the red-ball format. This will be vital from Australia’s point of view since they will not have the services of all-rounder Cameron Green.
The likely player who has stepped in as a possible option as an opener in the BGT, young and dynamic Sam Konstas, was ahead of the tally, also consisting of Cameron Bancroft and skipper Nathan McSweeney.
Konstas, picked for the Australia A, failed on his first major outing in senior cricket, as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck by India A pacer Mukesh Kumar. Konstas caught the edge on a wide delivery outside-off, as he was the first Australian wicket to fall.
India A bowled out for 107 in the first innings
The first day of the series between India A and Australia A, prior to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, began with some sheer control of bowling, first from the Aussie pacers and later by the early domination of Indian pacers.
India carried a decorated squad comprising Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudarshan, NK Reddy, and Ishan Kishan, but despite that, they could not gather a total of over 107, with Buckingham and Doggett contributing to 8 wickets between the two pacers.
After piling the Indians early, Australia, who came to bat, also didn’t have a great start with the early ducks from opener Sam Konstas and no. 3 Cameron Bancroft.
Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna looked stunning with the new ball, while Webster and McSweeney took control of the Australian innings after the early fall of three wickets.
