Australia reduce India A to 63-2 after piling on big total in warm-up game

 Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade hit individual half centuries as Australia declared their first innings at 469 for seven on day two of the warm-up game against India 'A' here on Saturday.

In reply, India A made 63 for two with openers Akhil Herwadkar (4) and Priyank Panchal (36) out at the stroke of tea at the Brabourne Stadium here.

Both the openers were victims of off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who is expected to be the main spin bowler in the four-Test series commencing at Pune on February 23.

At the end of second session, Shreyas Iyer was on 19 in 15 balls in a stay of 29 minutes during which he struck one six and two fours and batted confidently.

Earlier, Marsh made 75 after a stay of 200 minutes during which he hit one six and eleven fours, while Wade scored 64 with nine fours in his 161-minute stay before becoming a victim of part-time bowler Herwadkar just before lunch.

The visitors declared 33 minutes after lunch soon after Marsh drove left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem straight into the hands of mid-off fielder B Indrajith to become the only victim of the innings in the bowler's 31st over.

On Friday, skipper Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh hit individual hundreds in impressive fashion, which was followed up by Mitchell Marsh and wicket-keeper Wade looking hardly troubled and the visitors would be pleased with the time spent in the middle.

Australia declared when Glenn Maxwell and Steven O'Keefe were at the crease on 16 and 8 respectively.

India openers Herwadkar and Panchal faced a testing time against Australia new ball bowlers Jackson Bird and Mitchell Marsh.

Panchal, especially, was troubled by the in-out movement extracted by the lanky Bird but managed to stay on while seeing the back of his partner Herwadkar who was lured into putting up a low return catch to Lyon when the score read 19.

He faced 36 balls in a stay of 48 minutes.

One-down Shreyas Iyer started his innings with a first-ball six over long on off Lyon while Panchal grew in confidence after his early trouble against Bird once the spinners came on.

The Gujarat batsman looked like carrying on till tea before he turned Lyon straight into the hands of the short leg fielder Peter Handscomb to depart after having faced 62 balls in a 77-minute stay. He hit six fours.

In the morning, Mitchell Marsh and Wade began cautiously before opening out in the second hour of play as Australia continued to dominate the India 'A' bowling attack.

At lunch, the visitors were 436 for 6, with Marsh unbeaten on 64 and Glenn Maxwell on 2 after the left-handed Wade departed close to the interval.

Wade, the lone batsman to be dismissed in the morning session, was caught behind off Herwadkar off a sweep shot that he top-edged after a stay of 161 minutes and 89 balls and his knock contained nine hits to the fence.

The duo added 129 runs for the sixth wicket in 33.5 overs and looked hardly troubled by the home team bowling.

Australia, who had resumed at the overnight score of 327 for five, added 109 runs in 26 overs in the first session of play.

Marsh reached his half century after two and a half hours' stay with a pulled tenth four off Ashok Dinda, the misfield by Ankit Bawne helping him in the process, in 103 balls.

The toothless India A bowling attack could do hardly anything worthwhile to disturb the sixth-wicket duo's poise.

They were also a bowler short with Krishnappa Gowtham, who suffered a hamstring injury after lunch on Friday and limped off the field, was off the field in the morning session.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem came on to bowl after the first hour, but he could hardly get any purchase out of the track to trouble the batsmen and Wade punched him off the back foot square of the wicket for two fours.

Marsh also smacked him straight to the roof of the stadium.Wade smashed Shreyas Iyer, who bowled full tosses, twice in as many balls to the cover boundary, forcing Pandya to bring on Herwadkar who succeeded in breaking the stand by having the left handed Wade caught behind by Rishabh Pant off a top-edged sweep shot.