India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah scored his maiden first-class half-century on the opening day of the pink-ball warm-up match against Australia A in Sydney on Friday.
With his 55 off 57 balls, Bumrah was the top-scorer for the visitors, who folded for a disappointing 194 in 48.3 overs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
On a day when the Indian batsmen struggled to put runs on the board, Bumrah produced a stellar batting performance, smashing the ball six times to the fence and twice over it.
The 27-year-old reached the fifty milestone in style, dispatching a bouncer by all-rounder Will Sutherland for a huge six.
Bumrah and fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj stitched a valuable 71-run partnership for the 10th wicket before the Indian innings ended at 194.
India captain Virat Kohli opted out of the day-night warm-up game, deciding to give his body some rest after having played in all the preceding limited-overs matches. With Kohli sitting out of the pink-ball tour match, the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane is leading the team.
India won the toss and elected to bat in the three-day game that started here on Friday.
The game is more of a simulation ahead of the series-opening Day-night Test, which will be played with a pink ball from December 17 to 21 at Adelaide.
The touring Indians don't have enough experience of facing the pink ball in top-flight cricket, having played only one such Test against Bangladesh last year.
India though won that game, held at the Eden Gardens, by a handsome margin of innings and 46 runs.
Australia have played in quite a few pink-ball day-nighters over the last few years.
Four members of Australia's Test squad are playing in the tour game-opening batsman Joe Burns, all-rounder Cameron Green, pace bowler Sean Abbott and leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson.
India are coming into the game after having won the T20I series 2-1 following a loss in the ODI rubber by a similar margin.
Teams:
India: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia A: Joe Burns, Marcus Harris, Nic Maddinson, Ben McDermott, Cameron Green, Jack Wildermuth, Alex Carey, Sean Abbott, Will Sutherland, Mitch Swepson, Harry Conway.
(With PTI inputs)
