Visakhapatnam: Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem were the star performers for India A in their comfortable 64-run win over New Zealand A in the third unofficial ‘ODI’, thereby clinching the five-match series. India A have now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead with back-to-back wins after the first game was abandoned due to inclement weather and the second match ended in a tie.
Opting to bat first, India A scored a healthy 289 for 6 in 50 overs and then bowled the Kiwis out for 225 in 45.1 overs. Easwaran anchored the innings with a patient 83 off 104 balls that had seven boundaries. He added 86 runs for the second wicket partnership with Ankit Bawne (39). Deepak Hooda (59 off 64 balls) also did his bit but it was all-rounder Vijay Shankar (61 off 33 balls), who upped the ante in the end with four boundaries and five sixes. For New Zealand, opener George Worker (108) fought valiantly but none of the other batsmen could cross 50-run mark. Nadeem with 4 for 33 was the pick of the India A bowlers while pacer Siddharth Kaul picked 3 for 25.
Brief scores:
India A 289/6 in 50 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 83, Vijay Shankar 61, Deepak Hooda 59) bt New Zealand A 225 in 45.1 overs (Deepak Hooda 108, Shahbaz Nadeem 4/33, Siddharth Kaul 3/25).
