Keene's Stunning 5/24 Bundles India A Out for 113 on Day One at Lincoln

Simon Keene produced the spell of his young career on Saturday as New Zealand A dismantled India A for just 113 on day one of the first unofficial Test at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.

Asked to bat first, India A were in trouble almost immediately. KL Rahul fell for an eight-ball duck in the third over to Fraser Sheat, and although Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) and Devdutt Padikkal (32) added 30 for the second wicket, the innings unraveled spectacularly once Keene found his rhythm. The 25-year-old right-arm pacer removed Sai Sudharsan and captain Dhruv Jurel cheaply, then returned to clean up the tail, dismissing Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep and Mukesh Choudhary to complete a five-wicket haul of 5 for 24 from 11.3 overs.

Only Yash Rathod offered resistance for the visitors, remaining unbeaten on 44 from 49 balls with three fours and three sixes, but he ran out of partners as India A were bowled out in 39.3 overs — Washington Sundar, Jurel and Sudharsan all falling for one or fewer.

New Zealand A's reply could hardly have been calmer. Openers Curtis Heaphy and Rhys Mariu added an unbroken 92 in 28 overs by stumps, with Mariu reaching a composed half-century off 87 balls to finish 56 not out. The hosts trail by just 21 runs with all ten wickets in hand, and India A's bowlers already look under serious pressure.