Tilak, Reddy, Dhir seal thriller for India to go 2-0 up against sloppy New Zealand

India A's top order crumbled against New Zealand A in their first innings of an unofficial Test match at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel, all expected to provide a strong start, all failed to open their accounts, with Rahul dismissed for a duck and Jaiswal managing only 17 runs.

The top order's struggles continued as Padikkal and Sudharsan, both scoring low totals, failed to lift the scoring rate. New Zealand A's disciplined attack, led by Simon Keene, took multiple wickets at crucial junctures, with Keene finishing with a stellar five-wicket haul for just 24 runs. Yash Rathod was the lone Indian warrior, scoring 44 runs off 49 balls, including three fours and three sixes, and anchoring the innings with a crucial last-wicket partnership.

However, even his efforts could not salvage India A's total of 113 runs, leaving their bowlers with a tough task to restrict New Zealand A's progress in the second innings.