Five Indians Score Fifties as Warm-up vs Cricket Aus XI Begins
Shaw, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane & Vihari among the runs as rain relents in Sydney to give India some time in the middle.
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Five players scored half-centuries for India as the tourists finally got their sole warm-up game ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia under way in Sydney on Thursday, 29 November, after rain washed out play on the first day.
India scored 358 after being put in to bat on Day 2 of their four-dayer against a Cricket Australia XI, who ended day’s play at Sydney Cricket Ground on 24/0.
Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari crossed fifty for the Indians, with Rohit Sharma adding 40. KL Rahul was the only high-profile batsman to fail, falling to a rash shot for just three runs.
Shaw top-scored for India with 66, while captain Kohli added 64.
19-year-old Shaw hit a century on Test debut against West Indies in October, and is expected to open the batting at Adelaide Oval next week in the first Test against Australia. The right-hander looked fluent in his stay at the crease, stroking 11 boundaries.
CA XI captain Sam Whiteman had won the toss and decided to bowl. The match was only originally scheduled to be a three-day affair, before Cricket Australia (CA) agreed to add Wednesday's earlier start at India's request.
The first match of India’s four-Test series begins in Adelaide on 6 December. The SCG hosts the final Test from 3 January, with the second and third Tests at Perth and Melbourne respectively.
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