Iyer ton, Pant fifty wrest control for India A

With the national selectors trying out different options at No. 4 in the one-day set-up, Shreyas Iyer continued to present his case across formats. A month after hitting an unbeaten 140 that helped India A win the tri-series in South Africa, his counter-attacking 97-ball 108 rescued the side from a precarious 114 for 4 and put them on the road to victory on the second day of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Vijayawada.

Iyer, who walked in to bat at No. 5, following Karun Nair's dismissal, amassed 78 of those in little over an hour before lunch to put New Zealand on the defensive quickly. In Rishabh Pant, Iyer found a partner who matched him stroke for stroke. Pant, who was not considered for the longer format during the A tour in South Africa, made an impression immediately, hitting 67 to swell India A's lead to 173.

In their second innings, New Zealand were on 64 for 2 when bad light forced a premature end to proceedings, and they once again wasted a steady start from the openers Jeet Raval and George Worker, who had added 41 runs. The visitors still need 109 to make India A bat again, with the possibility of a three-day finish looming large.

The post-lunch session was particularly entertaining as it turned into a mini-contest between Iyer and Pant, both capable of playing audacious shots at different times. While Iyer drove, slapped and walked down the pitch to flat-bat fast bowlers over their heads repeatedly, Pant backed himself to clear long-off and long-on when spinners bowled in his hitting arc. Not even Iyer's dismissal forced Pant to adopt a circumspect approach, an inside-out hit over long-off against the turn proving there was more to his range than just brute force. His 26-ball half-century was a chanceless fare in which he favoured the straight boundaries - six of his nine fours and both sixes coming in the region.

The day began with much promise for New Zealand A as Ish Sodhi, who prised out Priyank Panchal and Sudip Chatterjee late on the opening day, had Nair chop on in the 31st over. The India A captain, who had battled calmly until then shaped to cut but erred in trying to play back to a flipper that cramped him for room. R Samarth, who progressed to make his third successive half-century for India A, then fell into the short-ball trap to give New Zealand more voice.

Samarth gloved an attempted hook off Scott Kuggeleijn to George Worker, who was strategically placed at leg slip, to leave India A wobbling at 114 for 4. With the ball still fairly new, the visitors went full tilt with their pace battery. Setting attacking fields came with the risk of conceding runs in pursuit of wickets. On Sunday, however, Iyer's breathtaking onslaught, which got him into his groove, had a cascading effect as Pant's fearless innings handed India A a convincing lead.

Amidst the carnage, Sodhi held his own, picking five wickets. Initially branded a flat and skiddy bowler, Sodhi, who spoke of having to reinvent his methods, tossed it up to get the batsmen to commit mistakes, even if it came with the risk of being tonked. The delivery that got Iyer proved his efficacy at doing the same. After being hit for a huge six over long-off, he tossed the ball again, but landed it wider, as an another attempt from Iyer at clearing the ropes resulted in a slice to cover. Pant carried on from where Iyer left off, but once he fell, the innings swiftly ended, with Todd Astle, the legspinner, bagging two lower-order wickets.

New Zealand A started well in their second innings, with Jeet Raval and Worker blunting the India A attack for over an hour, the focus clearly being on crease occupation over run-scoring. But being circumspect against spin, even to deliveries which batsmen may try to put away most times, resulted in two false shots. Raval misjudged a sweep and was bowled to a Shahbaz Nadeem delivery that spun back in to hit the leg stump, while Henry Nicholls, the captain, was out lbw to Karn Sharma, beaten by sharp turn back in from the rough. Will Young and Worker, however, ended the day without any further hiccups.