Ashok Menaria returned with a five-wicket haul before Unmukt Chand and Mandeep Singh cracked individual half-centuries to guide India A to a convincing six-wicket win over New Zealand A in the second one-dayer of their unofficial ODI series on Tuesday.
Menaria weaved his magic at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy stadium to return with figures of 10-0-38-5 to help India A dismiss New Zealand A for 216 in 47.2 overs after skipper Chand had won the toss and elected to field.
Dhawal Kulkarni scalped two wickets, while Basant Mohanty and Sandeep Sharma also took one wicket each.
The hosts then returned to overhaul the target with 11.1 overs to spare, riding on individual fifties by Chand (59) and Mandeep (59) and their 89-run third wicket partnership off 103 balls in the middle.
Kedar Jadhav (30) and Ashok Maneria (37) then finished the job for India A, stitching an unbeaten 53-run stand in 45 balls as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 in the three match series. After early set back Chand and new man Mandeep didn’t allow the pressure to build up as they mixed caution with aggression to take India A across the hundred-run mark by the end of 20 overs.
Chand was dismissed in the 26th over by Adam Milne. He paid the price for playing away from the body to a delivery that nipped back a bit as an inside edge disturbed his stumps. His 71-ball innings was laced with seven boundaries and two sixes.
Mandeep and Kedar Jadhav then added 31 runs to take India A across the 150-mark but the former was soon sent back to the pavilion by Matt Henry in the 32nd over as the hosts were reduced to 164 for four. Ashok Menaria then came to the crease an plundered bou ndaries to take India home.