Naman Ojha lauds bowlers' efforts following three-wicket defeat to Australia 'A'

India ‘A’ captain Naman Ojha feels that the batsmen would find form in the future after their disappointing display against Australia in the 4-day match at the Allan Border Stadium in Brisbane.

Though India ‘A’ lost the match by 3 wickets, the bowlers performed exceptionally well in the low-scoring match. The series provided the perfect platform for domestic players to prove their worth ahead of the Ranji season and also catch the eye of the national selectors.

Also Read: Australia A beat India A by 3 wickets in the first unofficial Test

Captain Ojha feels that the change in formats within a few days’ time may be the main reason for the performance of the batsmen. As quoted from Cricbuzz, he said, "Yesterday (day three), out batters had a bad session and we need to improve on that. It's all about mindset. The guys are coming from one-day matches and have a different mind-set. They will analyse their mistakes and work in the nets. Hopefully, they will be ready for the next match.”

After winning the toss, the visitors decided to bat first and scored a modest total of 230 runs, aided by useful knocks from Faiz Fazal and Manish Pandey. In reply, the Aussies were bundled out two runs short of India’s first innings total, thanks to brilliant bowling displays from Varun Aaron and Jayant Yadav, both of them taking three wickets each.

Also Read: India A fightback after poor batting show; match on a knife's edge after Day 3

India could have easily capitalised on the situation, but the batting display was rather ordinary in the second innings and they were all-out for 156 runs.

With 159 runs to get, the hosts were in the driver’s seat but they limped towards the target with three wickets in hand. Needless to say, if India had managed to score 50-60 runs more in the 2^nd innings, they could have given the ‘Baggy Greens’ a run for their money.

Ojha lauded the efforts of the bowlers and admitted that he was happy with the way they defended the score.

He said, "It was a bit frustrating because the covers were off. If we could have bowled in the morning, our bowlers would have had help from the moisture. The bowlers really played their heart out and bowled well. The pacemen bowled really well on this type of wicket and I was happy with how they defended this score.”