Yashasvi Jaiswal Hits Unbeaten 155 in India A Draw

Yashasvi Jaiswal responded to a difficult run of scores with an unbeaten 155 off 162 balls as India A drew the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Christchurch. The left-hander struck 15 fours and five sixes in a rapid second-innings effort that put India A in control after they had conceded a 78-run first-innings lead.

Jaiswal reached the close unbeaten, scoring at a strike rate of 95.67, in a timely innings before India’s two-Test series against New Zealand later this month. Both sides shook hands after Yash Rathod completed his century shortly after tea on Day 4.

Jaiswal turns the second innings around

India A resumed the fourth day at 32 without loss in their second innings, still 46 runs behind, with Jaiswal unbeaten on 20 overnight. New Zealand A had earlier been dismissed for 424, taking control of the first-innings position through a century from Matthew Boyle and 93 from Dean Foxcroft.

The visitors’ bowlers ensured the deficit remained within reach. Mukesh Kumar returned 5/87, while Mohammed Siraj took 4/118. Washington Sundar claimed the remaining wicket as New Zealand A’s innings ended at 424.

Jaiswal then led India A’s response. After being dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first innings, trapped lbw by Fraser Sheat, he produced a fluent and forceful unbeaten century in the second. His 155 included 15 boundaries and five sixes, providing the central contribution as India A recovered from the first-innings deficit.

The landmark arrived in emphatic fashion. Jaiswal brought up his century by hitting Dean Foxcroft for six over cow corner, before directing a flying kiss towards the Indian team’s dugout. He continued beyond the hundred to pass 150 and remained unbeaten when the match was agreed drawn.

A response after a lean sequence

The innings followed three low scores for Jaiswal: 17, 5 and 0. The report noted that he had also managed 160 runs across eight innings since scoring an ODI century against Afghanistan in June, a stretch that included two ducks.

Those concerns were heightened by the first-innings dismissal in Christchurch, but his second-innings performance changed the shape of the match. India A had begun the final day still trailing, yet Jaiswal’s scoring rate and unbeaten 155 helped move the visitors into a position of control before the draw was settled.

Timely form ahead of New Zealand Tests

For India, the significance of the innings lies in its timing. The two-Test series against New Zealand is due later this month, and Jaiswal’s unbeaten 155 delivered a substantial score after a challenging sequence on tour.

The drawn unofficial Test also featured important bowling returns for India A, with Mukesh’s five-wicket haul and Siraj’s four wickets helping limit New Zealand A after Boyle’s century and Foxcroft’s 93. But the final day belonged to Jaiswal, whose 162-ball unbeaten knock ensured India A finished the match on a strong note.