Tarouba (Trinidad & Tobago): West Indies A top-order put up a gutsy show to force a draw despite another five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as India A won the unofficial three-‘Test’ series 2-0.
Chasing a stiff target of 373, West Indies A started the day at 37 for no loss needing another 336 runs on the fourth day but only reached as far as 314 for 6 in the end.
Opener Jeremy Solozano’s dogged 92 off 252 balls along with No. 3 Brandon King’s attacking 77 off 84 balls and senior international Sunil Ambris’ 69 off 142 helped the home team earn a draw after losing the first two ‘Tests’.
For India, Nadeem turned out to be the best bowler once again with figures of 5 for 103 in 41 overs. The Jharkhand orthodox left-arm, one of the most consistent bowlers in the Indian domestic circuit, played two of the three games and had three ‘five-for’ in four innings, finishing with 15 wickets in the series.
The series was a good one for the Paras Mhambrey coached A side which was dominant for the better part. Test specialists like skipper Hanuma Vihari (224 runs, 1 ton, 1 fifty), Wriddhiman Saha (137 runs, 2 fifties) and Mayank Agarwal (123 runs, 1 fifty) got quality game time before the Test series starting at the end of this month. The biggest gain has to be Shubman Gill’s double-hundred under pressure, which is indication enough that the Punjab lad is ready for the next level.
Brief Scores:
India A 201 and 365/4
West Indies A 194 and 314/6 (Jeremy Solozano 92, Brandon King 77, Sunil Ambris 69, Shahbaz Nadeem 5/103)
Match drawn