Cutting puts Australia A ahead

Ben Cutting stamped Australia A's authority on the second day's play with a cracking innings that fell four runs short of three-figures. The tail had been exposed but like the senior side in England, India A struggled to nip out the final few wickets. No. 10 Cameron Boyce defied a first-class average of 15.87 to compile a half-century as the hosts' eighth wicket racked up 133.

India A launched a composed reply until Chadd Sayers strangled the top order. His stamina and skill at swinging the ball late had identified him as an Ashes prospect last year. He bolstered that resume with figures of 14-5-22-3.

After Sayers dismissed Robin Uthappa early, KL Rahul and Jiwanjot Singh were making steady progress before the bowler removed both. Sayers did not concede a run across four overs between the dismissals. His menace forced the visitors into a rebuild and Manoj Tiwary compiled a brisk half-century to take India A to 3 for 165.

Australia A's bowlers were able to exert as much pressure as they did courtesy Cutting's belligerence in the morning. He tucked into India A's seamers with a flurry of boundaries. He hit 26 runs off 16 balls from Jasprit Bumrah, including consecutive fours in the third over of the day. Umesh Yadav, India A's most successful bowler, was taken for 14 runs in three balls in the 107th over as Australia A hurtled towards 400 after beginning the day on 7 for 288.

Boyce had clung on during the fading overs on day one but he was struck by Cutting's fluency as well. He coped well against both pace and spin, cracking four fours off Yadav and three off Amit Mishra en route to his fourth first-class fifty. The duo amassed 127 runs in 25.2 overs in the first session till Boyce fell to place Australia A in a position of dominance going into the next two days.