Sydney: India’s opening tour match against a Cricket Australia XI ended in a draw Tuesday with the visitors 144 runs ahead having gained valuable match practice for the four Test series.
India’s pacemen had the better of the inexperienced CA XI side on Monday, with Varun Aaron and opener Murali Vijay impressing as they dismissed the home side for 219 in Adelaide.
The tourists finished the second and final day at 363-8, with Virat Kohli top-scoring on 60 and both Murali Vijay (51) and Cheteshwar Pujara (55) retiring after reaching their half-centuries.
The game was called off with 15 overs remaining with Karn Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha still at the crease after reaching their own half centuries.
“I was expecting them to come really hard at us but they’re taking their time to get themselves in,” said 16-year-old Sam Grimwade, the youngest player in a developmental side, who was testing his right-arm off-break against the Indian stars.
“You watch him [Kohli] on TV all the time and he makes heaps of runs. It can be intimidating, but it’s not too bad ... I can only improve by bowling to them.”
Grimwade, who dismissed Ajinkya Rahane for one, with Ryan Carters grabbing a diving one-handed catch at mid-off, finished the day at 1-61 from 17 overs.
He also took a catch to dismiss Kohli off the bowling of Matthew Short.
The match was a warm-up for the Indians who play their first Test against Australia in Brisbane on December 4.
India have won just three and lost 14 of their 23 Tests away from the subcontinent in the last four years, enduring 4-0 routs in England and Australia in 2011 and a 3-1 drubbing in England earlier this year.
The series opener in Brisbane will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
