Jab subah ki pehli kiran ke saath wickets girne shuru hue, toh laga ki India A aaj backfoot par hogi. 90 minute ki baarish aur overcast conditions ne Kiwi bowlers ko hawa mein ball nachane ka mauka de diya tha. Par unhe kya pata tha ki crease par ek aisa tufaan aane wala hai jo New Zealand A ke saare plans ko mitti mein mila dega. Yashasvi Jaiswal ne wahi kiya jo woh sabse behtar karte hain: Dominance!
The Guru Story
Khel shuru hote hi India A ki halat kharab dikh rahi thi. B Sai Sudharsan ko Kiwi bowler Jarrod McKay ne apne jaal mein fansaya. Leg gully ka wahi purana trap aur Sudharsan ne seedha wahi catch thama diya. Agle hi over mein Devdutt Padikkal ko ek aisi ball mili jise unhe bhulne mein waqt lagega. Brett Randell ne off-stump ke bahar pitch karke ball ko halka sa seedha rakha aur Padikkal ki off-pole hawa mein ud gayi. India A 2 wickets kho chuki thi aur abhi bhi trail kar rahi thi.
Lekin yahan se shuru hui asli kahani. Yashasvi Jaiswal ne pehli hi ball par McKay ko mid-on ke pass se punch-drive maarkar apne irade saaf kar diye. Unka saath dene aaye Yash Rathod, jo shuruat mein thode nervous zaroor the lekin ek baar aankhen jamne ke baad unhone peeche mudkar nahi dekha. In dono ke beech 247 runs ki unbeaten partnership hui jisne Kiwi bowlers ko rone par majboor kar diya.
Yashasvi Jaiswal ne is tour par ab tak kuch khaas nahi kiya tha, lekin aaj unka bat nahi, unka class bol raha tha. Unhone off-spinner Dean Foxcroft ko target kiya aur unke khilaaf 33 balls mein 47 runs koot diye, jisme 4 lambe sixes shaamil the. Dusri taraf, Yash Rathod ne apna 12th first-class century pura kiya aur dikhaya ki Vidarbha ka yeh ladka lambi race ka ghoda hai. Tea ke baad jab Rathod ne apni century puri ki, tab dono teams ne shake hands kiya aur match draw par khatam hua.
Analysis & Numbers
- Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 155* off just 188 balls with 18 fours and 4 sixes.
- Yash Rathod stayed solid with 100* off 163 balls, anchoring the innings perfectly.
- The unbroken 247-run partnership came at a scoring rate of over 5 runs per over.
- India A finished the match with a lead of 204 runs, effectively snatching the momentum back from New Zealand A.
- Injuries to Fraser Sheat and Jayden Lennox left the Kiwi bowling attack toothless against the Indian onslaught.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
India ki bench strength dekh kar duniya thar-thar kanpti hai aur aaj Jaiswal ne phir se wahi sabit kiya. Jab mushkil waqt tha, tab unhone attack ko hi best defense banaya. Yeh dekh kar dukh hota hai ki hamare padosi Pakistan mein talent ki aisi kami hai ki unke senior players bhi pressure mein ghutne tek dete hain, aur yahan hamara 'A' side ka bachha New Zealand mein jaakar unki dhajjiya uda raha hai. Jaiswal is a certified Superstar in the making!
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