After day one of their two-day pink-ball tour match was washed out due to rain, India elected to bowl first in a curtailed 50-overs-a-side contest. Young batter Sam Konstas shined by hitting a 90-ball century, which puts more pressure on Australia’s out of form batter Marnus Labuschagne, as well as newbie opener Nathan McSweeney, who didn’t do much on debut at Perth.
But Rana taking four wickets in six balls ensured India kept PM’s XI to 10 runs below 250. Opener Matthew Renshaw fell early after nicking off to second slip off Mohammed Siraj for just five, and was followed by Jayden Goodwin giving an edge behind to keeper off Akash Deep, as the PM XI’s scoreboard read 22/2 after 5.5 overs.
Some more rain meant the game was reduced to 46-over a side affair. But Konstas looked solid in his copybook style stroke-play, especially in hitting through the V and taking the attack to Indian bowlers, including hitting an incredible reverse ramp off Akash Deep going for a boundary.
In all, he hit 107 off 97 balls, laced with 14 fours and a six coming at a strike-rate of 110.3, while putting a stand of 109 with Jack Clayton (40). But Rana got India back in the match by taking out Clayton, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards and Sam Harper to leave the PM’s XI at 138/7.
Konstas found an able partner in Hanno Jacobs, as the duo stitched an eighth-wicket partnership of 67. After getting his century, Konstas was eventually caught in the deep off Akash Deep’s bowling, while Jacobs was dismissed for 61 by Washington Sundar to end the PM’s XI innings.
Brief Scores: Prime Minister’s XI 240 in 43.2 overs (Sam Konstas 107, Hanno Jacobs 61; Harshit Rana 4-44) against India
(IANS)
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