Jurel Scores 99 as India A Stabilizes Against New Zealand A

India A's skipper, Dhruv Jurel, scored an unbeaten 99 on the opening day of their second unofficial Test against New Zealand A at Hagley Oval. His innings helped the team recover from a challenging middle-order collapse and reach 291/7 by stumps.

India A's day started poorly when Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck in the first over by New Zealand A's Fraser Sheat. However, Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan formed a vital 91-run partnership for the second wicket, providing much-needed stability before lunch.

Sudharsan was dismissed for 41, and Yash Rathod's brief stay at the crease saw India A fall to 137/5. Padikkal continued to dominate, scoring 12 boundaries before his dismissal for 80. Quick wickets of Smaran Ravichandran and Washington Sundar led to India A being at 160/6.

Jurel then took charge, forming a 62-run stand with Manav Suthar and an unbroken 69-run partnership with Akash Deep. Jurel, just one run short of a century, will look to reach the milestone the following day, providing a strong foundation for India A's fightback.

Fraser Sheat was the standout bowler for New Zealand A, claiming four wickets for 50 runs in the match.