Australia A Beat India A by 69 Runs in 2nd Unofficial ODI, Take Unassailable 2-0 Series Lead

Josh Philippe and Sam Konstas scored half-centuries off the pace and pacer Spencer Johnson delivered some big hits as Australia A defeated India A by 69 runs in the second one-day game of the day in Puducherry on Friday.

Australia A picked up its 2-0 lead in the three-match series with this victory.

But along with the series defeat, the hosts will also be disappointed with the second straight failure of India batters Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

The second wicket partnership of Constas (67, 88 balls) and Philippe (58, 58 balls) proved to be the vital link in Australia's 275 all out.

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India A got bowled out at 206 with a little over four overs to spare, made a 82-ball 67 off Rajat Patidar.

Philippe's delivery rate was very good in his first innings come to redeem himself after being at fault in the first match and dropped with such ease.

The 29-year-old creamed Nishant Sindhu for a couple of fours in a row - one of which was a sweet inside-out drill through extra-cover.

Philippe was dismissed with a boundary for a 50th off 53 balls when he got Yash Thakur, the pacer, out.

Konstas, on the other hand, was rather less frisky, though had struck six off pacer Arshad Khan at the beginning of his innings.

Konstas hit 69 balls to get to 50. But these two were unable to hold on for a bigger score as Philippe fell to Sindhu and Konstas to Arshad.

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At the time Australia A were 168 for three in 30 overs. But India kept on striking at regular intervals to restrict the tourists to 107 runs in the final 20 overs while plucking the remaining seven wickets.

That was not a daunting target but India A suffered from the absence of Padikkal (1), Gaikwad (12) and Sudharsan (13) from early on.

It meant that India A were 30 for three in the ninth over with a rather inexperienced line-up following.

There was no regular middle-order, except Patidar who hit 67 in an 82-ball.

In fact, the home side had the biggest partnership in the fifth wicket between Patidar and Sindhu who added 51 runs together.

However, after Patidar fell to Johnson, there was nothing much left to fight in the Indian side.

Johnson had the scalps of Padikkal and Suryansh Shedge in his kitty as well.

In a brief encounter between Australia A and India A (Lambert 58 and Sam Konstas 67), Australia A won by 69 runs with Spencer Johnson (3/35) claiming three wickets, while Arshad Khan (3/56) took three wickets for India A, who were all out in 45.2 overs.

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