India A endured a difficult start against New Zealand A in the first unofficial Test at Lincoln after being asked to bat first. KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan both fell for ducks, and the innings slipped to 58/6. Yash Rathod's counter-attack and Simon Keene's five-wicket haul shaped the day.
Match Context: Lincoln Conditions and Toss
New Zealand A won the toss and chose to field. The new ball moved enough to test India A's top order, which included several Test prospects.
The series is part of the build-up to the IND vs NZ Test 2026 schedule, so individual returns carry selection relevance. The table below summarises the match details.
| Detail | Information |
|---|
| Venue | Lincoln |
| New Zealand A captain | Rhys Mariu |
| India A captain | Dhruv Jurel |
| Toss | New Zealand A won, chose to field |
| Broadcast | Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV (India), Sky Sport (New Zealand) |
| Result | To be determined |
India A Top Order: Early Dismissals in Numbers
The top three contributed 17 runs combined, all of them from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rahul and Sudharsan both failed to score.
India A were 44/3 when Sudharsan fell, so the early damage came against the new ball.
Key Top-Order Dismissals
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | Dismissal Note |
|---|
| KL Rahul | 0 | 8 | 0.00 | Edged in the third over |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 17 | 45 | 37.78 | Caught behind off the moving new ball |
| Sai Sudharsan | 0 | 13 | 0.00 | Dismissed as India A fell to 44/3 |
Jaiswal's 45-ball stay was the longest of the three, yet it yielded a strike rate below 40. Together the three faced 66 balls for 17 runs, an average of roughly 0.26 runs per ball.
Middle-Order Collapse: From 44/3 to 58/6
Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar all departed quickly. India A lost three more wickets for 14 runs between 44/3 and 58/6.
That is an average of about 4.67 runs per wicket during the slide. The collapse turned a difficult start into a serious deficit in batting position.
Collapse Progression
| Stage | Score | Wickets Lost | Runs Added Since Previous Stage |
|---|
| After Sudharsan's dismissal | 44/3 | 3 | - |
| At one stage later | 58/6 | 6 | 14 for 3 wickets |
Yash Rathod's Counter-Attack
Rathod was the lone batter to take the initiative. He attacked Fraser Sheat and Simon Keene and finished as top scorer with 44 off 49 balls.
His strike rate of 89.80 stood well above Jaiswal's 37.78 and the 0.00 of Rahul and Sudharsan. It was the main source of scoring momentum in an otherwise stagnant innings.
Batting Comparison
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate |
|---|
| Yash Rathod | 44 | 49 | 89.80 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 17 | 45 | 37.78 |
| Sai Sudharsan | 0 | 13 | 0.00 |
| KL Rahul | 0 | 8 | 0.00 |
Rathod's 44 alone exceeded Jaiswal's 17 and the top-three total of 17 by a wide margin, making the contrast in intent clear.
Simon Keene's 5/24: Bowling Analysis
Keene bowled with disciplined seam presentation and removed the middle order. His figures of 5/24 gave him an average of 4.80 runs per wicket, an efficient return in a collapsing innings.
Five wickets for 24 runs also means Keene alone accounted for most of the damage after the initial breakthroughs.
| Bowler | Wickets | Runs Conceded | Runs per Wicket |
|---|
| Simon Keene | 5 | 24 | 4.80 |
Analytical Takeaways for India A
The data points to two issues: a lack of resistance against the new ball and a rapid loss of wickets once the top order fell. Two ducks and a 37.78 strike rate from the longest top-order stay left little platform.
Rathod's innings shows that a positive approach could still score against the same attack. The remaining stages of the match will show whether India A can recover through bowling and a stronger second innings.
For selectors tracking Test prospects ahead of the IND vs NZ series, the early returns of Rahul and Sudharsan will draw attention, though the match is still in progress and a single innings is a limited sample.