The Delhi opener carried the momentum from the first practice match
Unmukt Chand
Mumbai: Before the start of the second tour game at the Wankhede Stadium here, chief selectors Clive Lloyd had a talk with the West Indies players. After their dull performance in the first warm-up game, the visitors needed to lift their performance, but the improvement was only marginal as Unmkut Chand once again punished the listless bowling with a fine century that powered India A to 282/7 on a fine batting track.
The Delhi opener had cracked an unbeaten 79 at the CCI and he carried on in exactly the same manner, even as his partner Murali Vijay failed to cash in on a start. A day after he was picked for the ODI series, Vijay showed positive intent hitting the first ball of the match for a four. He smashed three more in no time, but had to return back after edging one to the keeper of Jason Holder. Amit Mishra, the other member of the India A squad to be selected for the five-match series sat out.
With Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmons opting out of the practice match, the visitors were forced to field their coach Stuart Williams in the initial line-up. The former captain took position in the slip corridor before local players came in as substitutes.
One-drop Karun Nair too had little trouble in negotiating the pace attack and with Unmukt, shared a steady partnership. While Unmkut got to his half century in 62 balls with the help of six boundaries, Nair brought up his fifty in 55 balls. Ahead of the series, the visitors must be worried after their spin bowlers had nothing to show for second straight game.
Marlon Samuels’s five overs produced 38 runs. The two raised a 149-run stand in 124 balls before the stand was broken by Kemar Roach as Nair hit straight to Jermaine Blackwood at backward point. The visitors then removed captain Manoj Tiwary and Sanju Samson in quick succession.
Brief scores
India A 282 in 48.1 overs (Unmukt Chand 101, Karun Nair 64, Jerome Taylor 3/51) vs West Indies
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