Mayank Agarwal regained his scoring touch and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India’s only warm-up fixture agai...
Mayank Agarwal regained his scoring touch and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India’s only warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw in Hamilton on Sunday.
The disappointment for India came from another low score for Shubman Gill in the only red-ball warm-up match ahead of the two-match Test series. Gill batted at No 3 this and scored eight runs after a duck in the first innings.
The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252/4 just 48 overs into their second innings.
Agarwal, who had gone through a lean period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name.
To add to Indian management’s delight, Pant played a customary quick innings to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell.
There were four sixes – two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper.
While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions. There were times when he was ready to defend against the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries that the Kiwi pacers...
