In the second List A game of the Australia A tour of India 2025, India A faced off against Australia A in a rain-affected match where Australia A leveled the series despite a noteworthy innings from Tilak Varma. The match took place on Friday at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
India A suffered a nine-wicket defeat after Australia A chased down a revised target efficiently. After a three-hour rain delay, Australia A were set a target of 160 in 25 overs, adjusted via the Duckworth-Lewis method. Australia A cruised to 160/1 in 16.4 overs, with opener Jake Fraser-McGurk scoring 28 before getting out and Mackenzie Harvey (70) and Cooper Connolly (50) completing the chase. The visitors hit 22 fours and 6 sixes, punishing the Indian bowlers. Arshdeep Singh was particularly expensive, conceding 44 runs in his 4 overs.
Batting first, India A were bowled out for 246 in 45.5 overs, with Tilak Varma's 94 being the standout performance. Varma came to the crease with India A at 0/1 and soon saw the team slump to 17/3. He then steadied the innings, forming a 101-run partnership with Riyan Parag, who contributed 58 runs. Varma continued to hold the innings together, eventually being the last batsman dismissed, narrowly missing out on a century. His 94 runs came off 122 balls and included 5 fours and 4 sixes. This was Varma's 10th fifty in List A cricket. In his 40th List A match, he has accumulated 1,642 runs at an average of over 46. Jack Edwards was the pick of the bowlers for Australia A, taking 4 wickets.
The top order for India A faltered, with Abhishek Sharma out for a duck on the first ball and captain Shreyas Iyer scoring only 8. After Parag departed, India A continued to lose wickets, but Varma held his ground. He built a 34-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Ravi Bishnoi and then a 28-run partnership for the last wicket with Arshdeep Singh.
Tilak Varma's impressive innings bolsters his claim for a spot in India's 50-over setup. Meanwhile, the series is now level at 1-1, with the final match to be played on Sunday.
